Love at first Listen
by acexume
Summary: Lillian just moved to Konohana to start her farm and follow under her father's footsteps. Being shy has it's ups and downs, but when Lillian meets a special bachelor, her emotions go haywire! Will she find the courage to keep up with her farm, and to win her crush's heart?
1. Chapter 1

It was an ordinary Spring day for Lillian. She was moving away from her family farm and starting a new life as a farmer. Although she had no idea how to own a farm, it was her father's wish before he passed away. In his youth, he was born and raised on a farm, and owned his own farm at the age of 25. He then married and shortly after, had Lillian. She could remember the early mornings and the late nights dedicated to helping her mom and dad on the farm, but she enjoyed every moment of it. The only thing she was worried about now, was finding a way to pay for everything. It seemed so simple when she was younger!

She traveled through the mountain on her horse, Kitsu, all of her belongings trailing behind them in an old cart. "It seems peaceful, I'm going to love this! I just need to be positive about things!" Before she could react, Kitsu swerved away from a fox that ran across the path. Lillian fell off of Kitsu, and soon heard her cart crash. She passed out.

Moments later, she awoke to someone shaking her softly. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, then noticed that an older gentleman and a younger woman was standing right in front of her. Was she dreaming? Did they see everything that happened to her?

"Miss, are you alright? I heard you crash and came rushing to your aid!" The older gentleman bent down and helped Lillian up.

"You're insane, Rutger! I was the one that found her first!" The lady grabbed her other arm and pitched in the effort to help Lillian up.

"You're fibbing, Ina!" The gentleman slammed down his cane and tilted his bowler hat back on top of his head.

"I'm okay! Please don't fight!" Lillian stood up and brushed off her clothes. She looked towards her rescuers and noticed that the gentleman was dressed properly with a dark green jacket that was pressed to perfection. She noticed a green bowler hat on top of his head, and a black cane with a unique design for the handle. As for the lady, she was dressed in the most unusual outfit Lillian had ever seen! She wore a red rag tied to hide her hair, and a matching red dress with blue, white and yellow printed design. She wore a long necklace with a gold charm dangling from the end. 'Who.. are these people..' Lillian thought as she rubbed her head. She soon looked towards both individuals again, and noticed they were both smiling.

"You must be Lillian! I'm Ina, I'm the mayor of Konohana! Oh we have been waiting for you to choose our town and start your farm there! We have big growing space and a barn for all of your animals to live in!"

"Get real, Ina. Lillian, I am Rutger. I am the mayor of Bluebell, the most wonderful town with a huge barn to house many animals and a small growing space! Sure enough to suit your everyday needs!"

"No, Rutger! She wants to move to Konohana!"

"Shut your trap, Ina! She wants to move to Bluebell!"

Lillian sighed and looked at both of the mayors. "Can't I choose where I want to live?"

"Oh! But of course dear, where would YOU like to move?" Ina laced her fingers together and shot Lillian the brightest smile. Rutger stared at Ina with the dirtiest look anyone could produce.

"Well, I grew up on a farm, and we grew mostly crops. Although we did have animals.. I choose Konohana!"

"Great choice Lillian! Welcome to Konohana!" Ina hugged Lillian tight, almost tight enough to squeeze the life out of her. Rutger hung his head and sighed. "But.. Bluebell is so beautiful. Well, Lillian. If you ever get tired of Konohana, you're free to move to Bluebell, just come see me! Well, I bid you two farewell, I have a town to run." Without any hesitation, he made his way down the left side of the mountain towards Bluebell.

Lillian looked to Ina and shook her head. "He seems nice."

"Yeah. I guess so." Ina muttered to herself. "So, Lillian, how old are you."

"I'm 23. I turn 24 on the 31st of December."

"Fantastic! So you are looking to own your own farm, obviously. You are going to love Konohana! There are so many good people, and cute boys that are around your age." She nudged Lillian and noticed a blush form across the young girl's face. Lillian shook the blush off of her face and looked around. She noticed her horse Kitsu was unharmed, and grazing on the luscious mountain grass. However, her cart was damaged. "Aw, man.. That cart's been in our family for years! It's going to cost me a fortune to get it repaired." Lillian rubbed the side of her cart, wishing that she hadn't crashed. She grabbed onto the reins of Kitsu's harness, and looked over to Ina

"Well, there's a cart at your farm, a little gift from me. So you can use it just as you would your old cart!" Ina took her hand and started to lead her down the mountain path. Lillian glanced back at the wreck site, and then looked forward. 'It's going to get better, Lillian. Just keep your head up.' She thought to herself. She looked around at the scenery, and felt at ease, despite her wreck. "It's beautiful!" She spoke aloud.

"It's even more beautiful in Konohana! We're almost there. Over to the right is a small creek that you can hand fish! Ooh and you can find a lot of surprises all over the mountain from the Harvest Goddess herself!" Ina kept rambling on and on, while Lillian scanned the Mountain's beauty. After a few moments, Ina came to an abrupt stop. Lillian stopped quickly, Kitsu almost ran into her.

"This is the entrance to our town! Are you ready to see your new home?" She started walking again, leading her down a dirt path across a couple of houses, and a tunnel entrance.

"Hey, Ina… What's that over there?" she pointed to the entrance to the mountain tunnel.

"Oh, that's the tunnel that connects Bluebell to Konohana! It's blocked off, however. No one's made an effort to open it back up!"

"Ah, well, why not? I mean, why are you two rivals?"

"It's complicated. Too long of a story to tell you today. You'll find out soon enough! Ah, left of here is your farm!" Ina quickly changed the subject, as she made an abrupt turn left. She led her past some trees, and soon onto Lillian's new farm. "Here's your field! You can accept requests on the town's message board, and on Bluebell's message board, and after awhile you will be able to make your fields bigger! Oh, and here is your barn! I know it's kind of small, but hey, it will do for awhile!" She unlocked Lilllian's door, and led them inside. "You must be tired. Why don't you rest a bit and then come see me in town hall sometime?"

Lillian was silent, she was too busy looking around her new house. "Wow.." She whispered quietly. "Oh, I'm sorry Ina, I wasn't ignoring you! This place is great! Thank you so much for having me live here!"

"It's no problem, kiddo. Have fun getting adjusted! I'll be at the town hall!" She waved goodbye, and soon made her way out the door. The house was quiet, obviously. Lillian sat down on her bed, and looked around for a few moments. "I'll make you proud dad, I promise." She stood up and walked outside to take a closer look at everything. She walked to the barn and took a peek inside. It was quite dark, she would have to install lights as soon as she got some livestock.

"A little dusty.. but it's to be expected." She stepped back outside, and walked down the dirt path towards the town of Konohana. "Now, it's time for me to introduce myself to some of the townsfolk." She made her way to a small house, with a fence wrapping around it's small field and barn. She walked inside to notice a room full of dogs and cats playing with each other. She walked up to the counter and rang a small bell that was on the cash register. She heard some rustling in the other room, and thought twice about stepping out of the house, and going elsewhere. Then she heard someone call out to her.

"Wait right there, I'll be out there in a second!"

Lillian stood still, she felt the butterflies crowd her stomach. She was a very shy person, but wanted to make an effort to meet new friends. Soon, she saw a tall man with brown hair that was pulled back into a pony tail. He had a tribal tattoo across his left arm. He wore a sleeveless hoody that was a rusty red color, and green pants that didn't seem to match.

"Can I help you?" he said as he walked closer to Lillian.

"Oh, I'm new to Konohana. I thought I would stop by and introduce myself.." She blushed deeply and threw her hand towards him. "I'm Lillian.." The man took her hand and shook it.

"Oh, I heard you might be moving here! I'm Kana, It's nice to meet you, miss Lillian! So, what brings you here to Konohana?"

"Well, I was looking to start my own farm and someone suggested this place to me-"

"Oh, you'll love it here! It's so beautiful, and all of the townsfolk are super nice! Say, do you like horses?"

"Yeah, I do! I have a horse named Kitsu!"

"Nice. I sell horses and pets here at my shop! So If you ever need anything for your farm, let me know."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." She looked around and then back at Kana. "I'm sorry I don't mean to be so dull, I'm just kinda.. Well, shy."

"It's okay, I know how it feels to be new somewhere. Why don't I go with you into town and help you meet the people of Konohana?"

"I'd love that, thank you!"

Kana soon led her outside and down the same dirt path she traveled on earlier, except in a different direction. They soon came to the main entrance of the town, it was surrounded by beautiful buildings that were designed differently than the buildings at Lillian's old home.

"This is the town's doctor. Her name is Ayame. Oh, and she has an apprentice that happens to be a good friend of mine! His name is Hiro!" Kana opened the door to Ayame's clinic, and gestured Lillian inside. "Dr. Ayame? Hiro? I have someone I'd like you to meet!"

After a few moments, a tall, slender woman walked down the stairs and over to Kana and Lillian. Her smile was as bright as the sun, her hair was as dark as midnight. She seemed very kindhearted, and very intelligent, by the way she looked. Behind her trailed a boy a little shorter than Kana, with brown hair and a clean white scrub top.

"Hello, Kana! Who's this beautiful young lady?" Dr Ayame held out her hand to Lillian. Lillian grabbed it and shook it gently.

"I'm Lillian! I just moved here, and Kana was kind enough to show me around town!"

"Well, we are very happy to have you, Lillian! Say, how old are you, anyways? It's important for a doctor to know her patient's age!"

Lillian blushed and looked down "I'm 23..soon to be 24 in December."

"Hey, that's me and Hiro's age!" Kana called out, slightly patting her on the back. Lillian's blush grew deeper.

"Oh you're very young and radiant! This here is Hiro, my apprentice!" Hiro extended his hand and shook Lillian's hand.

"It's very nice to meet you! I hope we never have to see you in our clinic! But, I didn't mean that in a bad way."

"Oh, I know what you mean." Lillian let out a small laugh, noticing that Hiro was blushing softly. She looked back to Dr. Ayame to take the tenseness off of Hiro's shoulders.

"Well, I bet you two are very busy so we will let you get on your way. You two take it easy, and Lillian, it was very nice to meet you!"

"It was nice to meet you both, as well!" Lillian waved back to Ayame and Hiro as her and Kana were walking out the door. They walked towards the town hall and Kana stopped right in front.

"This is the town hall. So, anything you need will be here. It also has a library inside, too!"

"Hey, Kana.. Can I ask you something?" Ume said quietly, trying not to sound rude.

"What is it?"

"Well, Hiro, he seemed shy just like me. Is everyone like that?"

"Nope. He just thought you were cute. Just like me and a lot of the other townsfolk, we're single. So pretty girls catch our eye. So, are you looking for a special someone?" He nudged Lillian softly, noticing that she was blushing deeper.

"N-no. Not right now. I'm too focused on making sure my farm makes it."

"Ah, well I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you. Well if you ever need help, I'm your guy! Consider me your friend as of right now!"

"Thanks Kana, I appreciate it." Lillian's mind began to wander. She had high hopes for her farm, but didn't want to be rude and turn down people's offers. She was very anxious, and worried at the same time about her farm. Kana seemed to notice, and he put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry I didn't try to make you uncomfortable."

"Oh, no you didn't. I'm just.. tired, that's all. I think I should go home and rest."

"Oh, okay Lillian. I'll see you around!" He waved to her and watched her walk back to her farm.

'Well, at least I made the effort to meet new people. I need to be more open. But, I need to keep busy and take good care of my farm. I can't let dad down.' Lillian walked into her home and laid down in her bed. "It's been too much today, I need to sleep."


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Lillian was awaken by a sharp knock on her door. She laid motionless for a second, only thinking it was a dream. After a few moments, the knock was heard again.

"Lillian? Are you up? It's me, Ina! I have some information to give to you!"

Lillian stood up and held onto the frame of her bed. She felt like she could collapse, she was so tired. She quickly fluffed her hair to look presentable, and then slowly walked over to the door. When she opened it, Ina let out an enthusiastic laugh.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you! But, I can't believe you aren't up yet. It's 6:00 in the morning, silly!"

"I..yeah…good morning, Ina." Lillian rubbed the back of her neck and let out a big yawn. After she was finished, Ina started in again.

"So, I thought I would stop by and give you a few things to help you out on your farm!" She gently shoved a box full of farming odds-and-ends. "There's some seeds in there, and a watering can.." She then handed her a sickle and a ho. "I really hope you know how to use these things!"

"Of course I do, thank you so much, Ina! This is great!" Lillian dug through the box and caught a better glimpse of her gifts. "I really appreciate all of this!"

"Oh, it's no problem! You might want to talk to Shang, our town's blacksmith. He'll eventually give you a hammer and an axe so you can make material stones and lumber! Well, I've already kept you in suspense long enough, it's time for me to get back to the Town Hall! I'll see you around, Lillian!"

"See ya, Ina! And thanks again!" Lillian closed the door and slowly walked into the kitchen. She sat the box of goodies on the kitchen table and propped the sickle and ho against one of the chairs. 'Wow. The people in this town are amazing! I guess I should get dressed now.' She walked over to her dresser and pulled out some old clothes to farm in, when another knock rattled on her door.

"Oh, who can it be this time I wonder?" She walked towards her door, and opened it slowly. There at her front door, was none only than Kana.

"Good Morning, Lillian! I thought I'd stop by and see how your first night was!"

"Morning, Kana. Come on in, you don't have to stand outside!" She gestured Kana into her house and led him over to the table. She picked up the box and her farming equipment and moved it over by her bookshelf.

"I see Ina's already been by here to give you some supplies! Ah, isn't she a great mayor?" Kana sat down at the table and looked up at Lillian.

"Yeah, so far, everyone's very nice and welcoming! It makes me feel really good, seeing that I was extremely nervous to move away from home." She joined Kana by sitting down across from him. "So, what are you up to this morning, hm?"

"Well, my shop is closed today. A guy's gotta have a day off, y'know?"

"Yeah, I can understand that. So what do you have planned today?"

"Well, nothing really. I was going to see if you wanted to hang out with me and get to know some of the other townsfolk."

"I'd like that a lot. But I really need to start work soon."

"Oh, come on Lillian. It's your second day here! Work will always be around for you, have some fun!" He stood up and grabbed ahold of her hand, gently pulling her up and tugging her playfully towards the door.

"Oh, Kana! Not so hard, I'll hang out today!" She stumbled behind him towards the door, and before she knew it, she was already in town. Kana was leading her towards a small house with a beautifully kept garden and a waterwheel contraption attached to the side of the building.

"Our first stop of the day, Gombe's seeds! Gombe's a very sweet old man who lives with his granddaughter, Nori. I know you'll get along great with her!" He opened the door and walked inside.

To the left was a small kitchen, with your ordinary kitchen appliances. There was a small table in the middle of the kitchen, where two young ladies were sitting. One of the girls stood up. She was dressed in a pink and white shaded kimono top with a matching skirt that reached down to her ankles. She had long black hair, with a pink ribbon laced through it and around her forehead to match her clothes. She stood up and walked over to them. The second girl stood up and followed. She was a little shorter than the other girl, with black hair that was braided in an up-do. She too, had a head band that accompanied her luscious braids, although hers was a sky blue color. She wore a blue, sleeveless top with a matching skirt with a pink belt wrapping around her waist, and sleeves that were hanging off of her forearms.

"Good morning, Kana! I see you brought a friend with you!" Nori smiled brightly and looked past Kana. She reached out her hand and took ahold of Lillian's, shaking it softly.

"Lillian, I'd like to introduce you to Nori and Reina!" Lillian blushed and shook both of their hands. Nori seemed more talkative than Reina, but both seemed to be very polite and interested in the new farmer.

"It's a pleasure to meet both of you!" Lillian flashed a bright smile to both of the girls.

"The pleasure's all ours." Reina answered back, quietly. "So, what kind of farm work will you be doing?"

"Well, growing crops, mostly. I'll have a few animals, too."

"Well, if you ever need help with crops, my grandpa can sell some high quality seeds to you! Oh, and Reina and I can help you with the care of your crops!"

Kana placed his hands on Lillian's shoulders. "See, I told you that you would make new friends! Well girls, It's time we leave for now to meet the others. Say, Nori, where's your Grandpa?"

"Oh, well he decided to go exploring through the mountain. Why, I don't exactly know. He should be back later."

"Alright, I'll have Lillian stop by." He waved to both girls and held the door open for Lillian.

"It was nice meeting both of you! I'll be talking to you both very soon!" The two girls waved to Lillian and Kana, as they both left the small house.

"So, there's Nori and Reina. They are pretty cool girls. Reina's a little quiet, but hey, you gotta have at least one quiet person in a town, right?"

"Yeah, you're right about that. I can be quiet sometimes, so there's nothing wrong with that." Lillian stopped and closed her eyes. "Kana, something smells delicious."

"Oh, that would be Yun's restaurant. Why don't we go get some lunch? It'll be my treat!"

"Kana, I can't let you do that!" Lillian blushed and looked down. "I don't have any money to pay you back with.."

"Don't worry about it! Come on, you look hungry!" Kana took Lillian's wrist and led her up the stairs to Yun's Tea House.

Sorry for such a short chapter New year's eve was busy for me! Plus, I'm still trying to recover from the hospitalization and whatnot. I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter! Thank you again for all of the feedback, it means a lot to me!


	3. Chapter 3

Kana walked with Lillian through the bright red and yellow designed noren. On the other side of the curtains, was a small restaurant that was decorated to look like a vintage Japanese tea house. Kana led Lillian up to the counter and rang a small bell. A few moments later, an older woman with gray hair came out of the back room.

"Hello Kana! Here for lunch as usual?" The old woman spoke with a happy tone.

"Yeah, and I bought a friend of mine! This is Lillian, she's new to Konohana." Lillian outstretched her arm and shook the woman's hand gently.

"It's very nice to meet you, Lillian! I'm Yun, and I run this Tea House! Oh, I must introduce you to my granddaughter! Ying, come on out, there's someone I'd like you to meet!" She turned her head and shouted to the back room. Moments later, a little girl dressed in a pink and white dress with a matching hat and a yellow shirt. She was carrying a small stuffed panda, and seemed very meek. She approached Yun and hid behind her, a blush forming across her face. Lillian kneeled down and peered behind Yun, seeing that the little girl was staring back at her.

"Hello there, I'm Lillian! I'm new to Konohana, it's very nice to meet you!" She extended her hand and waited a few moments until the little girl reached back to shake her hand gently.

"I-I'm Ying. I live here with my grandmother." She spoke quietly and hid behind Yun.

"Oh, please excuse her, she's just shy, that's all. You see, she came to live with me because she's ill and her parents believe that it's best for her here. I agree with them. Now, you two must be hungry! Right this way, I'll get you a table!" she led them out into the small dining room. She placed a couple of menu's on a table that was right by the window. "Take a seat, I'll be right back to take your orders!" She shuffled back behind the counter and began washing her hands.

Lillian picked up the menu and opened it slowly. Her eyes widened as she flipped through 2 pages of food items. "Kana, this is incredible! I don't know what to buy!"

"Well, I usually get the same thing. It's not on the menu though." He pushed his menu towards the center.

"Oh, what's that?"

"Spicy Curry. It's my favorite thing in the whole wide world!"

"Ohh, that sounds yummy! Do you mind if I get the same thing as you? I'll just have water to drink." Lillian closed her menu and placed it in the center with the other menu.

"Of course not, it's amazing!"

Yun made her way over to their table, and without hesitation, Kana held up two fingers and smiled. "Two spicy curries, and two waters to go with that, please!"

"Right away! You two relax and I'll have those out in a few minutes!" Yun walked back behind the counter and began preparing their meal. Kana glanced over and watched Yun for a moment, and then looked back at Lillian.

"So, what do you think so far?"

"Well, I mean it's only my second day, but I like it here a lot. Say, how long have you lived here?"

"Well, for about a year or so. I moved away from home to start a business selling horses, pets and pet supplies. Sometimes I miss home, but I'm grown up now. I thought It was time to start my own adventure."

"I know what you mean. It's hard being away from home and not having my parents around anymore. My mom died when I was only 11. My dad passed away about 4 months ago. I couldn't stand being at home without them."

"I'm so sorry Lillian. I know how it is to lose someone you love. I promise you won't be alone here, I'm your friend, and I know you will make other friends soon enough!" Yun walked over to their table with both dishes on a tray, accompanied with two glasses of ice water.

"Here you are, eat up!" She sat both dishes down in front of the hungry guests and walked away. Kana opened up his pair of chopsticks, broke them apart and began rubbing them together to remove excess splinters.

"Kana?" Lillian began to do the same with her chopsticks.

"Yeah, what is it, Lillian?"

"I.. Just want to thank you for everything so far. It's been tough living on my own, and I'm lucky to have a friend like you."

"Aw, shucks Lillian, it's nothing, really. I know what it feels like to be alone and no one to talk to." He rubbed the back of his neck, looked away and formed a soft blush that danced across his cheeks.

Lillian smiled and began to dig into her bowl of spicy curry. She took a bite and smiled ear to ear. "Kana, you were right, this is delicious!"

Kana shook off the blush and embarrassment and looked back to Lillian. He smiled and began digging into his own bowl.

"I know! Yun makes it really good, doesn't she! Say, after this, why don't we go up to the mountain summit?"

"That sounds awesome, Kana. It really does, but I REAAAAALY need to get to work. I can't make money by doing nothing."

Kana sighed and tried to form a smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe this evening we can?"

"Maybe. Stop by later tonight and check up on me. But for now, let's enjoy the rest of our lunch, okay?"

After a few moments of eating in an awkward silence, Yun walked over and gave the bill to Kana. He pulled out his wallet and gave her a couple of bills. "Keep it, it was delicious!"

"Thank you both for coming in, I hope to see you soon!"

Kana and Lillian walked outside. Lillian sighed and looked up to Kana. "Hey, I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It's just, I'm broke and I need money for food and supplies."

"You didn't hurt my feelings at all. Honest. I understand completely!" He pulled out his wallet and tried to hand Lillian money, but she gently pushed his hand away.

"Kana, I can't accept that! That's your money, not mine!"

"Look, Lillian, I don't want you going hungry. Please take it."

"Kana, I won't I promise. Besides you already bought me lunch, and I really appreciate it! Please, I'd feel bad if I took it."

Kana sighed and smiled softly. "You are a good soul, Lillian. But it really isn't a problem. If you ever need anything, you just let me know. Alright?"

"Agreed." Lillian smiled and turned to face the dirt path. "I had fun today! Thank you for showing me around."

"No problem. I'll try to head by your place later tonight, alright?"

"Sounds like a plan! I'll see you around!" Lillian turned and started to walk back to her farm. 'I really need to plant my seeds. I feel bad for shooting Kana down.' She reached her farm and walked into her house to grab her supplies, and then back out to begin her work. Within 20 minutes of using the sickle to scythe off unnecessary grass, she nearly passed out.

"I don't ever remember farming being this hard!" She sat down and looked at her seed packets. "I forgot that tomorrow is the first day of summer. And Ina gave me summer seeds! Radish and Corn seeds. Alright! This is a start!" She stood back up, with a little motivation to keep going. She began sowing and planting her seeds. After about an hour, she had over 30 seeds planted and watered. She walked back into her house and noticed that it was only 4:30 in the afternoon, but she was extremely exhausted. She decided she would walk over to Kana's house and let him know that she was going to retire early for the day. But before she could, she heard a knock at her door.

"Ah, he beat me to the punch." She opened her door and noticed that it was indeed, Kana that was knocking on her door.

"Hey, you done for the day?" He gave her a hopeful smile.

"Yeah, I am. But, I'm really tired. I had a big day after all! So I think I'll take a raincheck for our mountain adventure.. Sorry Kana."

"Don't be sorry! I know you've got to be tired. After all, it's the end of spring today. Starting tomorrow is typhoon season."

"T-typhoon season?" Lillian felt her heart drop. She dreaded typhoons, and any other storms.

"Yeah, why do you not like storms or something?" Lillian looked down and blushed as soon as Kana mentioned it.

"Oh, I'm sorry Lillian I didn't mean to frighten you!"

"It's not that. I just get very nervous with storms, and sometimes they even make me sick to my stomach because of all the anxiety they cause me. I'll be fine, it's summer after all. So there can't be too many typhoons.. right?"

"Well, it all depends. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be sunny in the morning but rainy in the afternoon. So you better get some sleep so you can wake up extra early to get your work done before it rains. You wouldn't wanna catch ill!"

"Yeah, you're right." Lillian sighed and bowed to Kana "Goodnight, Kana. And thanks for checking up on me."

"No problem, sleep well, and I'll see you tomorrow."

Lillian closed the door and locked it. She went straight towards her bed and collapsed onto it. The plush mattress felt so good to her, she fell asleep almost instantly.

The next few weeks seemed to go by quickly with no typhoons, and hardly any rain. It was a drought in the two towns and everyone was struggling to keep their crops alive. Of course, Lillian was relieved about the no typhoon part, but she too, was finding it hard to keep her plants watered. She was forced to take limited showers, and water her plants once a day to save her spigot from drying out. But all of that was going to change soon, or so she thought. In the next day, Summer would be over and the leaves would change a different color, and new seeds would be available in Gombe's shop. So far, she made some great friends from both Konohana and Bluebell. Nori and Reina seemed to be her two best girlfriends, and of course, Kana was still by her side being her best guy friend. She still felt alone, wishing that she could meet her prince charming and live happily ever after, but It was a farmer's life to grow crops and raise animals. There was no time for fairy tales just yet, she only had 112,300g saved up, and she knew she would have to spend a lot of that during the winter months. She awoke on a sunny Saturday morning, and went straight outside to water her plants. Everything seemed very quiet, too quiet. She decided to venture into town to see what was up. There was no one to be seen!

"That's weird. Where is everyone?" She turned around and began to walk back to her house. After a few moments, she realized that she was missing something. She ran back inside her home and looked at her calendar.

"Oh noooo! Today's the cooking festival, I need to make a dessert!" She threw open her fridge and began looking for ingredients she could use. She took out milk, butter , eggs and an apple and then ran over to her cabinet to pull out some baking flour. After a few moments of mixing, she threw the dough in a pan and made: Apple Pie!

As soon as it was done baking, she threw on her cutest outfit, and ran out the door towards the mountain summit. She looked down at her watch. It read 11:55 AM. She ran faster until she reached Ina.

"I'm ready to enter!" Lillian held her pie out towards Ina

"Excellent! Let's get started!"

Lillian stepped up to the Konohana table and noticed that Yun and Nori were joining her in the contest. She gave them a kind greeting and then looked over to Bluebell's table. One problem, she would be facing Howard, Jessica and Cam. Everyone knew Howard always got perfects on his dishes.

"And now, we would like to welcome the wonderful gourmet, Pierre!"

Lillian stood up straight, stiffening her body. She was more nervous than she thought. 'We have to win this thing. For Konohana.' She looked out to the crowd and saw that Kana was out there, cheering her on specifically. She blushed and looked down at her dish.

"I'll try Bluebell's food first!" Pierre announced as he walked up to Bluebell's table. Nori nudged Lillian and whispered in her ear.

"Hey, you okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"I'm okay, I'm just nervous."

"Why, your dish looks great! I wouldn't worry about it." She leaned back and stood up tall. Soon, Pierre was on his way over to their table.

"Everything looks wonderful! Let's try Lillian's dish, first!"

Lillian took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Within moments, she heard Pierre sit down the fork. "This is amazing! Nice and flaky crust, and the apples are nice and tart! Now I'll try Yun's."

Lillian let out a sigh of relief and relaxed her body. She looked back out to the Konohana crowd and noticed that Kana was smiling ear to ear.

"It's as if the Harvest Goddess made this herself!" Pierre exclaimed as he began to move down to Nori's dish. And just as Lillian predicted, It was just as good as hers. After a few moments, Pierre was ready to announce the winners.

"As always, both towns had wonderful dishes, but only one town can win today's contest. And that town is…Konohana!"

"Way to go, Konohana!" Kana shouted as he ran up to the three women.

"Lillian, you were awesome today!"

"Thanks, Kana. But I don't think Bluebell's taking too kindly of it." Lillian looked over and noticed Rutger was arguing with Ina, calling it a false match.

"And this brings this contest to an end. I will be back next month for the Salad competition! Until next time!" Pierre shook the hands of the contestants and then made his way down the mountain, wanting to avoid any conflicts that Rutger and Ina might shove at him. Ina soon walked up to Lillian with a big smile on her face.

"Lillan, thanks to you, we won today! I sent a special gift to your house!" Ina gave Lillian a big hug and made her way down the mountain. Lillian was too excited to get home, so she practically ran all the way there. When she arrived, she noticed a black and red fancy cart by her house.

"Oh man, this is better than my original one!" She rubbed the side of it, making sure to take in all of her emotions at once. "The paint is so smooth.. no imperfections! I can't wait until next contest!" She pulled the cart into her barn, struggling with it's weight. "It would be awful if it were to get ruined and warped by the rain. I must take care of it! And now to take care of myself." Lillian walked back into her house and laid down in her bed. "Tomorrow's the first day of fall. I wonder how Fall's going to go.." She soon fell asleep, clutching her pillow tight.


	4. Chapter 4

Lillian awoke with a knock on her door. She sat up slowly and looked at her alarm clock. It was only 7 in the morning. She sighed and got up out of bed, and walked over to the door. She opened it slowly and saw that it was Kana behind the door.

"Morning, sleepyhead! I thought I would come by and wish you a happy fall!"

"Thanks, Kana. So, why are you up this early?"

"Well, why aren't YOU up this early? I have work later on, I just thought I would come by and give you this." He handed her a flyer. Lillian took it and began to read it.

"Music festival? Sounds lovely! Who's performing?"

"His name is Mikhail. He comes here to stay in the fall, winter and spring. He hates hot weather so he travels somewhere else during the summer. I really don't blame him, I hate hot weather myself! He plays the violin! He's a pretty nice guy, he just keeps to himself most of the time."

"Wow, the violin.. I'll definitely show up, I've gotta hear him play!"

"Yeah, well the music festival is on the 15th this month. I just thought I would stop by and give you this information, I gotta get to work. Feel free to come by and see me, okay?"

"Alright, I'll stop by sometime today. I need to pick up a companion!"

"Well, I have plenty of them! I'll catch ya later, okay?"

"Alright. Have a good day, Kana." She shut her door and then walked over to her dresser. "Hmm, what should I wear.. Ah, I know!" She picked out her classy outfit that the Oracle made for her. She got dressed quickly, fixed her a nutritious breakfast, and headed out the door and straight to the mountain. She had a few items that she needed to pick up for a couple of request, and exercise sounded more fun to her than being lazy at home. She began to climb the mountain, stopping every now and again to look at the flowers, and search stumps for ingredients and valuables. She made her way up to the start of the summit and heard a faint noise. She grew curious and decided to find out what it was.

As she got closer, she could tell it was the sound of a violin! She snuck closer to notice a man sitting down at the peak of the mountain, playing the beautiful melody. She hid behind a tree and decided to be a stalker. She could only see his back, and his snow white hair. 'I really don't want to interrupt such a beautiful song..' She sat down by the spring and laid herself down on the soft grass. She closed her eyes and soaked in every note that was played. After a few moments, the man stopped playing. Lillian sat up quickly and hid behind the tree again. She noticed he was on the tall side, with black rimmed glasses, an orange shirt and a tan jacket that fit perfectly onto his shoulders. "I wonder if that's the man Kana was talking about.." She stayed behind the tree for a few moments, and then decided to head back home. But before that, she had something she had to take care of. She walked into Kana's shop, a smile shining brightly across her face.

"Hey you! You're just in time, I'm closing up in a few!" Kana came from behind the counter and greeted Lillian with a hug.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to show up so late, I went hiking today and.. well, I got distracted."

"Distracted? By what?" Kana let out a short laugh and looked down at Lillian, who was blushing softly.

"Music."

"What kind of music?"

"Violin music. I think it was that guy you were talking about earlier. If so, he's amazing!"

"Ah. It probably was. Did he have white hair?"

"Yeah! Oh my gosh, Kana! He was amazing! I have to meet him!"

"Heh, yeah." Kana turned his head and looked back at the cash register. "So, are you looking to buy a pet or.."

"Yeah! I was looking for a cat." Lillian ignored the change of subject.

"Alright, well I have this little white kitten right here, or a dark grey one." He kneeled down to two sleeping kittens who were cuddling together. "They're sisters."

"Aw, well I don't' really want to separate them.. I'll adopt both of them!"

"Really? That's very kind of you, Lillian! He picked both kittens up and placed them in a box. He handed her a couple of toys and treats. "You know what.. don't worry about paying me. I was looking for someone to adopt them anyways. I found them without a mother the other day on the mountain so-"

"Oh thank you Kana! You're the best friend a girl could have!" She practically glomped Kana, but he didn't mind. He hugged her back and soon let her go.

"Alright, well you better get home. They're probably hungry." He handed her the box of kittens and their toys and treats.

"Thank you again, Kana. You're so sweet." She held the box carefully and walked out the door.

"Oh, and Lillian?"

"Yeah, what is it, Kana?"

"Ah.. it's nothing, forget it. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright, have a good night, Kana!" She left without hesitation. She had her mind wrapped around the violinist, and her new kittens.

Kana closed up his register and walked into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter and stared out the window. "Why can't I tell you how much you mean to me."

As soon as Lillian arrived home, she let her kittens out of the box. She placed a few treats on the ground and threw their toys away from them so they would chase after them. She then walked into her bathroom and turned the water on warm for her bath. She got undressed and laid in the tranquilizing water. She still couldn't get the violinist out of her head.

"His music was so lovely. I don't understand why he's stuck in my head, I don't even know him!" She picked up her wash cloth and soaked it in the hot, soapy water and began to lather her body with it. "I wonder what Kana wanted to talk to me about, and why he changed his mind so suddenly. Ah, I guess I'll find out sometime or another. Tomorrow I need to work all day! I'm not going to make any money by just having fun all the time." Lillian rinsed herself off and got out of the warm bath. She quickly grabbed a towel and dried off. She picked out her most comfortable pj's and walked over to her bed, flopping down on it a moment later. "Whoever he is, he won't get out of my head, that's for damn sure." She turned off the light and soon fell asleep after tossing and turning for a bit.

The next morning, her sleep was interrupted by none other than a knock on her door. "Lillian? Are you awake? It's me, Ina!"

Lillian jolted out of bed and got dressed quickly. "Just a second, I'm getting dressed!" She shouted as she began to brush her hair. She walked over to the door and opened it, letting Ina inside. A tall, white haired man with glasses followed her. Lillian froze and stared directly at the snow haired man. He looked even more dashing up close!

"Good morning Lillian! Sorry to barge in so early, but I have someone I'd like you to meet! This is Mikhail, he's a traveling violinist and he will be staying until the end of spring!"

The young man stretched out his arm towards Lillian. She reluctantly took his hand and softly shook it. 'His grip is so gentle..' she thought to herself as a soft blush formed across her cheeks.

"It's nice meeting you, Lillian." He smiled brightly towards her.

"The pleasure's all mine." She said softly, as she stared up into his eyes. He smile stretched across his face and he let out a small chuckle.

"Your voice has a beautiful tone to it. I hope we can become good friends while I'm here!"

"Yeah, same here! Hey, I think I sa-" Lillian stopped herself mid-sentence. 'I can't tell him I was spying on him! That would be rude..' She cleared her throat and started over. "I look forward to chatting with you again."

"Well, you two seem like you are compatible! Just remember, the music festival is on the 15th of this month, so why don't you come and listen to Mikhail play at the town hall?"

"Oh, I wouldn't miss it! I'll be there!" Lillian smiled brightly, thinking about the beautiful music she heard just the day before.

"I look forward to seeing you there, Lillian." Mikhail bowed to her, which made butterflies start knocking together in her stomach.

"Alright, well, we will be on our way! Have a good day, Lillian!" Ina opened the door, and the two of them left quietly. Lillian stood in front of the door for a few moments and then began squealing with joy. "Oh my god! I've never met someone so polite as him! I must know more about him!" She put on her shoes and ran straight to Kana's house. She burst through the doors and ran straight to the kitchen.

"Well, hello Lillian. You look excited, what's up?"

"I'm sorry for bursting in, Kana. But you were right! That was Mikhail I saw yesterday! Ina came by and introduced me to him, and oh my god he's so handsome! And polite!"

"Heh, yeah he's a good guy." Kana sipped his tea quietly.

"You okay, Kana?"

"Yeah, just not feeling well today, that's all.."

"Ah, well I'm sorry to bother you. I need to find out more information about him so we can become good friends! When's his birthday?"

"I don't know."

"Okay.. well what's his favorite food?"

"I don't know, Lillian." Kana said firmly. "I've never really had a heart to heart talk with him. Why don't you go talk to Yun, he visits her for food a lot while he's here."

"Good idea, Kana! You're the best!"

"Yeah, I try." He smiled softly and took another sip of his tea. Without hesitation, Lillian ran out the door and towards Yun's Tea House.


	5. Chapter 5

"Yun! Yun! I need your help!" Lillian ran through the door, looking left and right for Yun.

"Calm down dear, what's wrong?!" Yun ran out from the back room and over to Lillian. She put her hand on her shoulder and watched her catch her breath. Lillian looked up to Yun and gave her a smile.

"I'm so glad you're here. I just met Mikhail a while ago, and I really want to be good friends with him! What's his favorite food?"

"Oh, are you sure it's because you want to be friends with him, hmm?" Yun gave Lillian a wink and watched her face turn from happy to pouty.

"Yes. I don't even know him well enough to ask him out or anything.. He is really handsome, though.." She cleared her throat and looked back up at Yun. "Do you know what his favorite dish is?"

"Well, he loves anything with tofu in it. He once mentioned that he loved boiled tofu. I think that's your best guess for his favorite dish."

"Thank you Yun! Do you know when his birthday is?"

"No, one of the girls might though; he seems to be a hit with the ladies. Although, he doesn't really talk much. He seems pretty lonesome, most of the time."

"I know he does. I've only just met him, but what I've heard he seems to be quite the loner. I don't want anyone to feel alone, that's why I want to be his friend."

"Well, just keep your head up, and be friendly towards him. Well, I need to get back to work and open the restaurant. I'll talk to you later, dearie!"

"Thanks again, Yun! I'll see you around!" Lillian ran out of the restaurant and towards Gombe's seed shop. She walked into the store and looked over towards the kitchen where Nori might be. To her luck, she was sitting at the table, reading a book and drinking a cup of hot tea. "Hello, Lillian! How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well. I need your help though. I need to know more about Mikhail. I want to be his friend." She walked over to the table and sat down next to her.

"Do you want to be his friend, or more than that." Nori smirked at Lillian, and watched her cheeks turn deep red.

"N-no! That's not it at all! I've just heard that he's a real loner.. and well.. he is kinda cute.."

"Aha! I knew it! You can't hide anything from me!" Nori let out a big laugh and held her sides. She calmed down after a few moments and noticed that Lillian looked a little upset. "Oh, come now Lilly. I wasn't trying to make fun of you. He's a pretty handsome guy! He's not exactly my type, though. I do know that Georgia in Bluebell kinda has a thing for him. But he seems to always turn the cold shoulder to her, no one knows why. All I know is, his birthday is on the 12th of this month. Oh, and he likes tofu items!"

"Thanks, Nori. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. So, do you like.. Kana at all?"

"Yeah, he's my best friend! Why do you ask?"

"No, I mean like.. really like him."

"Oh. No, not that way! He's really cute and super nice, but he's too good of a friend. I don't want our friendship to get ruined if we happened to date and then we broke up on bad terms."

"Ah, well I was just asking because.. I like him a lot. I've always liked him, but I've noticed that he's been kinda, occupied with you."

"Oh, I'm sorry Nori, it's not like that, I don't want to upset you or anything!"

"Oh, no you're not! I just, well, he's so sweet." Nori blushed deeply and looked down at her tea. Lillian gave her a pat on the back and stood up.

"It's okay, Thanks for the information! I'll catch up to you later on and we can get some lunch, okay?"

"Sounds good! I'll see you later!"

Lillian walked out of Gombe's shop and felt a little relief. "Now I know what he likes. And his birthday! I want to be his friend, I hope he accepts my friendship!" She walked back to Yun's tea house and walked inside, instantly noticing Yun behind the counter.

"Hey, sorry to bother you but.. Do you have some soybeans and edamame I can borrow?"

"Sure thing, dearie. I don't have much, so I'll only be able to give you two of each. You going to make boiled tofu?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna try. Do you have a good recipe?"

"Yes, I do! Let me get you the supplies really quick, Stay right there, I'll be right back!"

Lillian stood patiently at the counter. She couldn't help but think about her and Nori's conversation. Did she like Kana like that? She didn't want to lie but deep down she had a small thing for him. She thought it was best to shake it off. A few moments later, someone else walked through the curtains . It was none other than Kana.

"Oh, hey Lillian! How's it going?"

"Hi Kana. Oh, you know, it's going. Just borrowing some things from Yun to make a dish!"

"Ah, I see. Say, Lillian..?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I was wondering.. would you like to go out on a date with me? You know, get some food and hang out?" He blushed softly and kept his eyes on Lillian. He noticed that she became to fidget and get nervous.

"Kana. I'd love to, but I.. Kana you're my best friend, and I'm afraid that if we date, we might break up someday and ruin our friendship."

"Lillian, that won't happen. I really care about you. I know I haven't known you for that long, but you've really grown on me. You're so sweet, and you listen to me and you don't treat me differently at all. Please, Lillian, give me a chance."

Lillian felt her eyes swell up with tears. "I'm sorry Kana.. I don't feel the same way. Please don't hate me." She hung her head and began to cry. Kana sighed and wrapped his arms around him.

"I'm sorry Lillian, I didn't mean to upset you."

"Please, Kana. Let me go, I need to be alone."

"Here you are, dearie! I packed everything up! Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt you two." Yun saw that Lillian was crying and slowly handed her the bag of supplies. "There's a recipe in there, too."

"T-thanks Yun. I really appreciate it." Lillian quickly took the bag and ran out of the restaurant, and straight to her house. Kana started to run after her, but stopped mid way. "I.. I can't go after her. Lillian.. why.." He walked slowly back to his home, feeling like he was in the wrong.

Lillian opened the door to her house and threw the ingredients onto the table. She fell down on top of her bed and began to sob. 'Why. Why did it have to be this way?! He probably hates me now.. I'm no good! I'm a terrible friend!' She laid down for quite a bit while clutching onto her tear-soaked pillow. She calmed down and stopped crying, but still felt no good. She stood up and walked over to the supplies that Yun had lent to her. She took out the recipe and began to read it. After reading over the recipe, she began to prep her food items. "I'm going to do something good and make Mikhail feel welcome here in Konohana." She began cooking the boiled tofu, and soon finished the dish. She covered the pot and kept it on the back burner while she changed into a better looking outfit. She brushed her hair and put a sparkly blue clip in place to keep the stray hairs away from her face. She soon picked up the dish and headed out the door. It was getting late, but not late enough for everyone to be in bed already.

She mustered up the courage and began to walk slowly towards the Town Hall where Mikhail was staying. She began to feel the butterflies that she felt earlier knock against the walls of her stomach. She took a deep breath and kept walking. She finally reached the Town Hall, and slowly put her hand on the door knob. Before she could even make a half turn, someone called out her name. She turned slowly and saw that it was Nori.

"Lillian, what are you doing out this late?"

"This late? Oh, I was uh.. taking a dish to Mikhail."

"Kana.. told me what happened."

"Ah, well I feel bad about it, alright?"

"I bet you do. Look, I'm not upset at you, and neither is Kana, okay? He's upset because he made you cry, and that's something he never wanted to do."

"I know. And I should of just said yes. I kinda have feelings for him, but they aren't strong, and I would feel wrong doing such a thing."

"No one blames you, I'd do the same thing if I was in your shoes. But, I told Kana how I feel about him."

"Oh, how did that go?"

"Well, he was surprised. So I left. I don't think he likes me the same way, but it's okay, just as long as I can be his friend, that's all that matters to me. Well, I better let you get back to delivering your food. I hope everything goes well, be sure to tell me everything later, okay?"

"Alright, I will Nori. Have a good night, relax okay?" She turned the doorknob and entered the town hall. She saw Ina standing at the counter, with a smile on her face.

"Good evening! Would you like to stay here tonight?"

"Oh, no thank you, Ina. I just came to see Mikhail. Is he around?"

"Oh, yes, second door on the right."

"Thanks Ina!" Lillian walked down the hallway and approached Mikhail's room. She took a deep breath and knocked softly. After a few moments, Mikhail opened the door.

"Good evening, Lillian! It's good to see you!" He gestured her to come inside.

"Thank you for letting me in. I thought I would bring you a welcoming present. I kinda heard through the grape vine that it's your favorite dish." Lillian handed Mikhail the dish, and watched his face light up with joy.

"Absolutely! Boiled Tofu is my favorite, and it smells so good! Thank you so much for your kindness, Lillian! I'll save this to eat after you leave, I don't want to be rude." He walked over and placed the dish on the table.

"Oh, you wouldn't be rude! I made it especially for you!"

"Well, I really appreciate it. Say, why don't you sit down with me and we can get to know each other better?" He pulled out a chair for Lillian.

"I'd like that, a lot." She walked over to the table and sat down. He took a seat right across from her. "Your room is very nice!"

"Thank you. It's very, oh how should I say, roomy!" he chucked a bit and noticed that Lillian looked a bit nervous. He decided to break the ice and ask her the first question. "So, why did you decide to move to Konohana?"

"Well, growing up I lived on a farm that my parents maintained, and I knew I always wanted to have my own farm one day. My mom passed away when I was 11, and so it was me and my dad for awhile. We struggled with the farm work at first, but we got used to it. He passed away 6 months ago, so I decided to carry on the family business and start my own farm. It's what my parents would have wanted."

"I'm sorry to hear about your family, but they sound like wonderful people. I know they would be proud of you. My parents both died when I was very young, and I was an orphan for awhile. But then I met my teacher one day as he was playing for the kids at the orphanage. I was so touched by his performance, I wanted to be just like him, so I begged and pleaded him to teach me the violin. After awhile, he gave in and raised me as his own. "

"That's a beautiful story. It sounds like you and I are kind of alike, huh?"

"Yeah, we are in a way." He gave her a kind smile and looked out the window. "So, what's your favorite part about Konohana, and your least favorite part?"

"Well, my favorite part would have to be the people. Everyone here is so kind and helpful! My least favorite thing doesn't exactly have to do with Konohana itself, but everywhere in general. I hate storms. They make me very nervous and sick to my stomach, and typhoons frighten me! It's really silly, but, well I guess everyone has their own fears!"

"That they do! I don't care for spiders all that much. And storms can get pretty fierce sometimes, but I just play my violin to the beat of nature's fury! Sometime, I should come over and play the violin for you while it's storming. It will change your whole perspective about storms!"

"I'd like that a lot! We haven't had any major storms yet, actually, we've been in a drought since summertime. I'm just hoping it will rain soon."

"It's supposed to rain tomorrow in the morning."

"Wow, really? That's awesome! I can't wait! I love to listen to the rain while I sleep!"

"Yeah, me too. Nature has the most beautiful music. No one can top it, even with an instrument!"

"I agree! I love traveling on the mountain and listening to the crickets at night. It's so peaceful, it helps me get ready for sleep."

"You should try it during the day after it rains. Say, why don't you do it tomorrow?"

"I guess I'll have to try it out!"

"Yes, you will!"

Lillian studied the white haired man and noticed that he was, as everyone said, a calm and well-mannered person. She had a feeling that they would be great friends, just like Kana and her. After a few moments of chatting it up, She looked down at her watch and laughed softly. "I should be going, it's almost midnight. Thank you again for talking with me, we should do this again sometime." She stood up from her seat and looked outside.

"Yes, I agree. Thank you so much for bringing me boiled tofu! I'm going to warm it up and eat it in a bit!" He walked Lillian over to the door and opened it. "Take care, and be careful on your way home, okay?"

"I will, thank you again, Mikhail! Have a good night!"

"You too, bye." He closed the door softly, and Lillian made her way back to her home. She noticed that the butterflies were no longer in her stomach. She felt like she could be herself with Mikhail. As soon as she reached her house, she went straight inside and noticed a note that was slipped underneath her door. She opened it up and began to read.

"_Lillian,_

_Sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to make you cry. I figured it would be best if I gave you some space. I hope you're not upset at me. I'll stop by tomorrow and see how you are._

_-Kana"_


	6. Chapter 6

Lillian kept reading the note over and over again, thinking about what happened earlier. She didn't exactly know what to do. He was her best friend, but that's all he was in her heart and in her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about the violinist that she met a couple days ago. It wasn't his looks, or his voice.. It was the way he acted. He was so polite; Lillian never met anyone quite like that.

She found herself lying in bed, clutching onto the letter tightly. Before she knew it, she saw that the sun was rising. There was no way, was she hallucinating or having a bad dream?" She sat up quickly and grabbed ahold of her clock. It read 5:45 AM.

"There's no WAY I stayed up this late!" She sat down her clock and ran towards the front door. She opened it quickly and noticed that she was not dreaming. The grass had an orange reflection upon it caused by the fall dew. She could hear the birds singing their morning song in the distance. She had no choice but to stay up the whole day. She walked out and started on her farm chores, harvesting the crops that were ready, and watering the ones that weren't quite there.

Before she could fully finish her chores, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Wow, up already? You look like you've gotten everything done for today!"

Lillian looked back and saw that Kana was walking towards her. She stood up and greeted him with a smile. "I could say the same about you."

"Hey hey, I just got up 30 minutes ago. So, did you get my note?"

"Yeah, I did. Look Kana, I'm sorry for hurting your feelings. I don't want our friendship to change because of that."

"It won't change, I promise. Besides, I may have approached you with it too quickly. It's my fault, I'm really sorry Lilly."

"Don't apologize. I was the one that shot you down." She went over to her water trestle and began to wash her hands. "So, what are your plans for today?"

"Oh, nothing. Just work, that's all. So did you happen to talk to Mikhail more?"

"Yeah, I did. Kana, he's really a sweet person. I think I made another good friend."

"Heh, well don't you go replacing me, alright?"

"I won't." Lillian looked past Kana and noticed that Mikhail was walking down the dirt path towards her house. "Hmm, it looks like you aren't the only one to visit me today!"

Kana looked back and sighed softly. "Well, I better get to work. You have a good day, okay Lillian?"

"I will. Thank you for visiting me, Kana." She watched him walk down the dirt path. Kana passed by Mikhail, who was shining a bright smile towards him.

"Good morning, Kana! Are you ready for the day?"

"Whatever." Kana scoffed and walked past Mikhail. The snow haired man shook it off, imagining that Kana might just be having a bad day. He walked up to Lillian, and noticed that she was already covered in dirt.

"Good morning, Mikhail! How are you today?"

"I'm doing fantastic, and you look like you've already finished your chores for today." He smiled and let out a small laugh while pointing to Lillian's clothes.

"Yeah, well I couldn't sleep last night so, I stayed up and got to work a little early today."

"I can see that. Hey, I just wanted to stop by and thank you so much for the boiled tofu you made me last night. It was the best I've ever had!"

Lillian blushed deeply and turned her head. No one has ever complimented her cooking before, let alone eat anything she's ever made. Come to think of it, she's never really cooked all that much before. She decided to take it with a grain of salt and enjoy the compliment.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Mikhail." She looked back up at him and shot him a bright smile.

"I didn't just come here to thank you, though. I was coming to tell you that the music festival has been changed to tomorrow, due to the cooking festival falling on the same day of the previous date."

"Oh, well thank you for telling me that! I would of felt terrible if I missed it."

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to hang out with me after the concert. Maybe go get some dinner?"

"Oh, I'd like that, a lot Mikhail." Her heart skipped a beat; she kind of felt a little guilt for accepting his offer and not accepting Kana's. But it wasn't going to be a date.. right?

"I'm glad. Well, I better be off. I bet you have some work to do, and I need to practice before tomorrow's festival. It's at Noon tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright, have fun practicing." She watched as Mikhail walked off.

'He wants to hang out. Alright! He's finally coming out of his shell. I better get all of my work done tomorrow so I won't miss the festival.' She made her way straight to Gombe's to purchase some more seeds. As she was passing Kana's, she noticed that he was out by his barn, talking to his most precious horse. Lillian became confused, remembering that Kana said he had to work today. It was already noon, so why wasn't he in his shop?

"It's none of my business." She said quietly as she walked into town, and straight to Gombe's. She made her way inside and saw that the elderly man was standing at the counter, a plethora of seeds were laid across the surface, just waiting to be bought.

"Ah, good afternoon, Lillian! What can I get for you, today?"

"I'm just looking for more seeds for my garden! What kind do you have today?"

"Well, today we have: Onion seeds, pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds and pineapple seeds."

"Awesome! I'll take 4 of each! Oh, and some fertilizer if you have any."

"I have two, is that okay?"

"That's perfect. Thank you, Gombe!" Lillian watched as Gombe packed up her supplies in a small paper bag.

"That'll be 23,337g." Lillian handed him the money, and watched his face light up. "Thank you so much, Lillian! This helps me a lot!"

"Oh, no problem! I can always count on you for perfect seeds to grow perfect crops!" She grabbed her bag and began walking out of the shop. "Thanks again, Gombe!"

"Anytime, have a good day!"

Lillian headed back to her house. She passed by Kana's shop again, to see that he was still out there with his horses. She felt a bit irritated because he lied to her, but she figured there must have been a good reason behind it. As soon as she reached her farm, she began digging trenches and sowing her seeds. She placed the two fertilizers on both ends of the trenches, and gave her seeds a healthy amount of water.

"All of this work is making me tired." She stood up and walked into her house. She changed out of her dirty clothes and into a fresh pair of pj's. She laid down on her bed and soon passed out.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Lillian woke up by herself instead of having someone knock on her door. It was different, but she enjoyed this way of waking better than the other. She sat up in her bed for a few moments, until she realized that today was the day of the music festival. And her so called "date" with Mikhail. She jumped out of her warm bed and walked over to her refrigerator. She took out two slices of bread and an apple for her breakfast. "I should really buy some animals so I can get product from them." She was about done when she heard a knock on her door. "Come on in, the door's open!"

Nori walked through the front door and walked over to Lillian's table. "Good morning, I thought I would drop by and see if you wanted to accompany me to the music festival."

"Yeah, that sounds like fun. What time is it? I just woke up."

"Around 10:30. So there's enough time for you to get ready." She watched Lillian get up from the table and walk over to her wardrobe. "What do you plan on wearing? You must wear something cute!"

"I was planning on wearing my classy outfit. The oracle made it for me. Oh, and I should probably wear the necklace that Laney was kind enough to give me."

"Laney? You talk to the Bluebell folk?"

"Yeah, why not? They are all very nice."

"I bet they are. I've never really talked to anyone over there. Maybe once or twice, I'm always in Konohana."

"Yeah, it's a nice town, but not as nice as Konohana. I've grown to love it here. Oh, can you please turn around so I can change?"

"Yeah, sure." Nori turned around and stared out the window. A few moments later, Lillian asked her to turn around and help her zip up her dress. As soon as she was finished, she turned around a complete 360 so Nori could look her over.

"You look beautiful, Lillian. Would you like me to braid your hair?"

"Yeah, I'd love that!"

"Alright, how about you sit down on the floor in front of one of the chairs. I'll make your hair look cute, and put your white ribbon in it, okay?"

"Alright." She sat down in front of one of the chairs and waited patiently as Nori started to braid her hair.

"You have beautiful hair, Lillian!"

"Thanks, I inherited it from my mother.." She looked down and felt very proud of her brunette locks. After a few moments of tugging and twisting, Nori stood up and led her to the bathroom. She turned on the light and Lillian squealed with joy.

"Oooh Nori, thank you thank you thank you! I love it!" She twirled around in front of the mirror and then faced her good friend.

"I'm glad you do. Now lets get going, it's almost 11 and we want to get good seats!" Nori grabbed her hand and led her out the door. They walked down the dirt path and noticed that Kana was walking out of his house. He was dressed up nicer than normal, and his hair was slicked back instead of in a ponytail. He saw Lillian, and butterflies entered his stomach.

"Hey girls. Wow, Lillian you look beautiful today." He blushed a little and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Thanks, but don't I always?" Lillian pouted, and looked up at Kana. He smiled and began to laugh.

"Yes but today you look especially beautiful. Especially your hair."

"You think so, Nori did it for me!"

"Well, you did a good job, Nori. You're looking good, too!" Kana turned to face Nori. Within moments, they were all walking together to the town hall, and talking about what last year's festival was like. They walked into the town hall and walked into the music hall. They were there before anyone else and got front row seats. Time went by, and the seats quickly filled up. As each minute passed, Lillian felt her anxiety grow more and more, but she didn't know why she was this anxious to hear her play. Finally, 12:00 came around, and Mikhail walked out onto the stage, following a girl that Lillian had never seen before. She headed over to a piano that was on the right side of the room. He stood in the middle of the stage and gripped his violin tight.

"Hello, and thank you all for coming this afternoon to hear me play. I wrote this song yesterday, it's about a girl and her town. Elena will be accompanying me with the piano. I hope you all enjoy." He placed the violin onto his shoulder, and gripped it with his chin as he began to slide his bow against the strings, while Elena began playing a soothing melody on the piano. He started to play faster, making the room fill up with a fierce melody. Lillian sat back, her eyes widened and her jaw ajar. She couldn't believe what she was hearing! It was so beautiful, more so than the other day when she heard him. She kept thinking back to what he said before his performance. That his song was based off of a girl that loved her town. Could she possibly be that girl?

Mikhail stopped playing and then started to play a more soothing melody, the beat much more slower than the first one. Kana happened to glance over at Lillian, and saw that her eyes were fixed upon the violinist. He felt a bit of jealousy, but knew that he couldn't force her to stop liking him. He slouched down into his chair, wishing that the performance would end soon. To his surprise, it ended soon after, but not soon enough in his eyes. Mikhail took a bow, and applause filled the room. Ina walked up on stage.

"Thank you everyone for showing up! I hope you enjoyed Mikhail's performance like I did!" There was even more applause after she said this. Soon after, everyone began to file out of the room. Lillian, Kana and Nori were at the end of the line, when Nori stopped Lillian.

"Hey, aren't you going to congratulate him and go out on your date?"

Kana's heart sank when he heard what Nori had to say. He made his way out of the room as fast as he could without showing he was upset.

"Hush, I was getting to it.. and it's not a date, it's just a hang out." Lillian looked behind her and noticed that Mikhail was looking right at her, a kind smile sat across his lips. She walked up to him, noticing that now they were the only two that were in the room.

"You played beautifully, I loved it! You certainly are talented!"

"Thank you, Lillian. You're too kind."

"Aw, no I'm just telling the truth."

"Well, I appreciate it. Are you ready to go eat? I got us a special table at Yun's!"

"Yeah, I could eat!"

Mikhail took her hand and led her out of the room. The grip of his warm palm made her melt. She couldn't help but blush. She enjoyed him holding her hand like that, but kept reminding herself that it was just a friendly hand hold, and nothing to get worked up over. He led her up the stairs and through the curtains to Yun's tea house. Yun greeted them at the door and took them out to the patio where there was already a table that was set up for two. Mikhail made sure Lillian sat down before he did, trying to show that he was a true gentleman.

"What would you two like to drink? I have a special champagne that's on the house."

"Sounds delightful, we will take that please." Mikhail picked up his menu. Lillian soon mimicked his action. He tilted his menu down and noticed that she was concentrating hard on the menu. "So, do you know what you want?"

"Not yet. I'm thinking about the donburi."

"Sound's delightful. I think that's what I'll get!"

"I think I might get that as well." She smiled softly, loving that he chose it to help her out. Yun came by and popped the cork on the bottle of champagne and poured them both a glass. Mikhail handed Yun his menu and gave her a kind smile. "Two donburis please."

"Right away! Anything else for you both?"

Mikhail looked at Lillian. She looked back at Yun and shook her head. "Splendid! I'll go and make those for you then!" Yun walked back inside of the restaurant.

"So, Lillian. I noticed that you were pretty cheerful during my performance." He took a sip of his champagne.

"Yeah! It was amazing, such a beautiful song!"

"You know who that song was for?"

"No, but even still, it was beautiful."

"I wrote it about you."

Lillian blushed and looked down at her glass. She didn't know how to comprehend what she just heard. The song was about her?! But why? She wasn't special. "I-I see. But why is that? I mean, I'm not complaining or anything. I'm honored."

"It's because your voice has a beautiful melody to it. I don't know why, but when you speak, your voice plucks my heart strings. I can't ever get you off of my mind. You're the first person this season to actually come and greet me, and with my favorite dish! I had to repay the favor. It popped in my head one night when I was practicing. I just started playing, and I wrote it down later on."

"Mikhail, I don't know what to say! I'm honored that my voice has an impact on you. No one has ever said anything that kind to me before."

"Well, that's rubbish. You're beautiful and caring. People should see that, like I do. I want to thank you for coming with me to get lunch. It's a sort of celebration, don't you think?"

"Yes, it is!"

Mikhail held up his glass. "To good times, and good music!"

Lillian toasted with Mikhail. The two talked nonstop until their meals arrived.

After their lunch, Mikhail and Lillian sat around and talked for hours about farming, music and love. Lillian felt at ease when she was with Mikhail, and she believed that he felt the same way. Mikhail paid for her meal, and bought them dessert, but the night still wasn't over yet in his book. It was around 4:30, and the sun was about to set. Mikhail cleared his throat and looked over to Lillian.

"The sun's setting, I think we've been here for awhile." Lillian looked behind her and then back at the white haired musician. He nodded and then stood up from the table.

"Would you like to go to the mountain summit with me and watch the sun set?"

"Sure." Lillian felt her heart skip a beat, and then had butterflies in her stomach that were rattling on like they never have before. 'Watching the sun set? This really is a date!' She stood up and accompanied Mikhail. The two of them walked out of Yun's tea house, and straight down the dirt path towards the first mountain slope. As they were walking by Kana's house, Lillian noticed that the lights were out in his house. She couldn't help but feel that she really hurt Kana, but shook it off. She was on a date with the most handsome guy in town! There's no way she could feel down about anything right now. As they began walking up the mountain, Lillian stopped and picked up a lightening bug that was sitting on a blade of grass in front of them. She turned around and showed Mikhail.

"Wow, what a pretty color! You don't see lightening bugs much in the fall." He watched her put it back on the same blade of grass that she picked it up from, and then they continued their journey to the summit. It took them around 15 minutes to reach the top, and the sky was beginning to turn a pink and orange shade. Mikhail led her to the summit's edge, and sat down. She joined him by sitting next to him.

"I love it here. There's beauty in nature, and it has it's own distinct melody at night and during the day. That's where I get my inspiration from." He looked to the sky and then back at Lillian. He noticed that her face had a beautiful glow to it, that shone just like the setting sun.

"Yeah, I agree. In the city, there's too much noise, you can hardly enjoy nature. But when I used to live on my family's farm, I would stay up all night just to look at the stars."

"Sounds like fun. You know you can do it at your place."

"Yeah, I know, but it's no fun now. Both of my parents are gone."

"Hey, so are mine. Maybe I can join you sometime."

"I'd like that." She smiled softly and watched the sun sink lower and lower to the ground.

"Hey, Lillian?" Mikhail turned towards her with a serious look on her face.

"Yeah, what is it, Mikhail?"

"What do you think of love?"

"Well, it can be a wonderful thing, but it can also cause a lot of heart ache."

"Have you ever been in love?"

"I wouldn't call it love, exactly. More like.. puppy love. I've only dated 2 guys in my life, and I never really fell for either one. I was too busy with work all the time.

"Ah, I see."

"How about you? Have you ever dated anyone?"

"Like you, I've dated a couple of girls, but both of them weren't interested in me like I was them. I've only kissed a girl once. So, to be in love with a human, I'm not sure about. I do love my violin very much, though."

"It must be nice, to play an instrument. I used to play flute when I was a teenager, but gave it up because I lost touch with my musical roots."

"That's too bad. I bet you were great." He smiled brightly.

"Eh,I guess you could say I was good. I was lead flute player in my school band, so I guess that counts as something."

"It most certainly does! I wish I could hear you play."

"That would be nice. We could duet if I had a flute!"

"That we could." He looked back at the sun, the sky began to grow darker as each minute passed. Lillian laid back onto the plush grass and looked straight up at the sky.

"Wow! I can see the stars perfectly! It's so beautiful!"

Mikhail laid back beside her and looked up. "That it is.." He glanced over to look at her and noticed that her eyes were shining brightly like the stars above them. 'She really is gorgeous.'

"So, Mikhail. Do you ever picture yourself staying here during the summer?"

"Ah, well not really. It's not impossible, but I just hate the heat and the buzzing of the insects. But perhaps I might try it out sometime."

"Well, I think you should. After all, it's beautiful here in the summer. And the insects are just playing their own music!"

"I like how you think, Lillian. I'll have to consider it sometime." He sat up and looked down to her. "Are you ready to go? It's getting late."

"Not really, I enjoy it here. But it you are, then I will join you." She stood up steadily, and then held her hand out to help Mikhail up. He took her hand and pulled himself up, and then wrapped his right arm around her shoulders.

"Well, we should. The cooking festival's tomorrow. I didn't have a chance to go last time, so I'd like to attend."

"Oh! It is tomorrow I completely forgot! I'm going to compete tomorrow. I'm glad you're going to come, I was going to ask you if you would."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He took her hand and walked down the mountain straight towards Lillian's house. She loved the feeling of his warm palm against her, and the cool fall breeze brushing against her skin. She began to get cold. She let go of his hand for a second to rub her arms. Without hesitation, he whipped off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. "Feel better, now?"

"Yes, thank you, Mikhail." She blushed and took his hand in hers again. As soon as they approached her farm, she felt her heart sink a little. She had so much fun; she didn't want the night to end! Mikhail was such a good friend to her. As they approached Lillian's front door, she turned to face Mikhail and bowed to him.

"I had a lot of fun tonight, thank you so much for hanging out with me and for lunch."

"Oh, it's no problem at all. I enjoyed myself as well. You should get inside now before you get sick. You can hold on to my jacket for awhile." Lillian wrapped her arms around him and embraced him in a tight hug.

"But won't you get cold, too?"

"Nah, I'm wearing my sweater. It's quite warm." He laughed softly and stared down at Lillian.

"Well, goodnight Mikhail." She turned to open her door, and felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Lillian, wait."

She turned around to face the tall musician, and without warning, he leaned down to kiss her softly. He could tell that her cheeks were a bright red afterwards, but he decided to keep that in his memories. "Goodnight, sweet dreams."

"Y-You too." Lillian entered her house and ran over to her window. She watched him walk away from her farm. She turned away from the window and put her fingers to her lips. "He.. he kissed me.."


	8. Chapter 8

After their lunch, Mikhail and Lillian sat around and talked for hours about farming, music and love. Lillian felt at ease when she was with Mikhail, and she believed that he felt the same way. Mikhail paid for her meal, and bought them dessert, but the night still wasn't over yet in his book. It was around 4:30, and the sun was about to set. Mikhail cleared his throat and looked over to Lillian.

"The sun's setting, I think we've been here for awhile." Lillian looked behind her and then back at the white haired musician. He nodded and then stood up from the table.

"Would you like to go to the mountain summit with me and watch the sun set?"

"Sure." Lillian felt her heart skip a beat, and then had butterflies in her stomach that were rattling on like they never have before. 'Watching the sun set? This really is a date!' She stood up and accompanied Mikhail. The two of them walked out of Yun's tea house, and straight down the dirt path towards the first mountain slope. As they were walking by Kana's house, Lillian noticed that the lights were out in his house. She couldn't help but feel that she really hurt Kana, but shook it off. She was on a date with the most handsome guy in town! There's no way she could feel down about anything right now. As they began walking up the mountain, Lillian stopped and picked up a lightening bug that was sitting on a blade of grass in front of them. She turned around and showed Mikhail.

"Wow, what a pretty color! You don't see lightening bugs much in the fall." He watched her put it back on the same blade of grass that she picked it up from, and then they continued their journey to the summit. It took them around 15 minutes to reach the top, and the sky was beginning to turn a pink and orange shade. Mikhail led her to the summit's edge, and sat down. She joined him by sitting next to him.

"I love it here. There's beauty in nature, and it has it's own distinct melody at night and during the day. That's where I get my inspiration from." He looked to the sky and then back at Lillian. He noticed that her face had a beautiful glow to it, that shone just like the setting sun.

"Yeah, I agree. In the city, there's too much noise, you can hardly enjoy nature. But when I used to live on my family's farm, I would stay up all night just to look at the stars."

"Sounds like fun. You know you can do it at your place."

"Yeah, I know, but it's no fun now. Both of my parents are gone."

"Hey, so are mine. Maybe I can join you sometime."

"I'd like that." She smiled softly and watched the sun sink lower and lower to the ground.

"Hey, Lillian?" Mikhail turned towards her with a serious look on her face.

"Yeah, what is it, Mikhail?"

"What do you think of love?"

"Well, it can be a wonderful thing, but it can also cause a lot of heart ache."

"Have you ever been in love?"

"I wouldn't call it love, exactly. More like.. puppy love. I've only dated 2 guys in my life, and I never really fell for either one. I was too busy with work all the time.

"Ah, I see."

"How about you? Have you ever dated anyone?"

"Like you, I've dated a couple of girls, but both of them weren't interested in me like I was them. I've only kissed a girl once. So, to be in love with a human, I'm not sure about. I do love my violin very much, though."

"It must be nice, to play an instrument. I used to play flute when I was a teenager, but gave it up because I lost touch with my musical roots."

"That's too bad. I bet you were great." He smiled brightly.

"Eh,I guess you could say I was good. I was lead flute player in my school band, so I guess that counts as something."

"It most certainly does! I wish I could hear you play."

"That would be nice. We could duet if I had a flute!"

"That we could." He looked back at the sun, the sky began to grow darker as each minute passed. Lillian laid back onto the plush grass and looked straight up at the sky.

"Wow! I can see the stars perfectly! It's so beautiful!"

Mikhail laid back beside her and looked up. "That it is.." He glanced over to look at her and noticed that her eyes were shining brightly like the stars above them. 'She really is gorgeous.'

"So, Mikhail. Do you ever picture yourself staying here during the summer?"

"Ah, well not really. It's not impossible, but I just hate the heat and the buzzing of the insects. But perhaps I might try it out sometime."

"Well, I think you should. After all, it's beautiful here in the summer. And the insects are just playing their own music!"

"I like how you think, Lillian. I'll have to consider it sometime." He sat up and looked down to her. "Are you ready to go? It's getting late."

"Not really, I enjoy it here. But it you are, then I will join you." She stood up steadily, and then held her hand out to help Mikhail up. He took her hand and pulled himself up, and then wrapped his right arm around her shoulders.

"Well, we should. The cooking festival's tomorrow. I didn't have a chance to go last time, so I'd like to attend."

"Oh! It is tomorrow I completely forgot! I'm going to compete tomorrow. I'm glad you're going to come, I was going to ask you if you would."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He took her hand and walked down the mountain straight towards Lillian's house. She loved the feeling of his warm palm against her, and the cool fall breeze brushing against her skin. She began to get cold. She let go of his hand for a second to rub her arms. Without hesitation, he whipped off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. "Feel better, now?"

"Yes, thank you, Mikhail." She blushed and took his hand in hers again. As soon as they approached her farm, she felt her heart sink a little. She had so much fun; she didn't want the night to end! Mikhail was such a good friend to her. As they approached Lillian's front door, she turned to face Mikhail and bowed to him.

"I had a lot of fun tonight, thank you so much for hanging out with me and for lunch."

"Oh, it's no problem at all. I enjoyed myself as well. You should get inside now before you get sick. You can hold on to my jacket for awhile." Lillian wrapped her arms around him and embraced him in a tight hug.

"But won't you get cold, too?"

"Nah, I'm wearing my sweater. It's quite warm." He laughed softly and stared down at Lillian.

"Well, goodnight Mikhail." She turned to open her door, and felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Lillian, wait."

She turned around to face the tall musician, and without warning, he leaned down to kiss her softly. He could tell that her cheeks were a bright red afterwards, but he decided to keep that in his memories. "Goodnight, sweet dreams."

"Y-You too." Lillian entered her house and ran over to her window. She watched him walk away from her farm. She turned away from the window and put her fingers to her lips. "He.. he kissed me.."


	9. Chapter 9

Lillian could of swore her and Mikhail's "date" was a complete dream! However, she soon realized it wasn't anything near. She was already awake, with Mikhail's jacket still around her shoulders. "It wasn't a dream! I feel like a complete creeper, I never took off his jacket.." She took it off and hung it on the back of one of her dining chairs. She walked over to her front door and opened it, noticing that everything was covered in rain water, the sky was a dark grey. She closed the door and walked over to her radio and flipped it on.

"Today will be rainy in the morning, and start to clear up in the afternoon."

"Great. I hate rainy days." Lillian sat back on her bed and pouted. After a few moments, she decided to slip on her rainy day outfit, including her rain coat, rain boots and her umbrella to accessorize. She opened the front door and walked out, making sure to lock up. She walked down the muddy path, straight to Kana's house. She knocked on the door, and waited a moment, until Kana opened the door and gestured her inside.

"Long time no see, Lil!"

"It's only been a day, silly. So, what are you up to, today?"

"Ah, gotta work. I need to make money!"

"Yeah, that's understandable. I can't do anything with my plants yet, the rain is taking care of the watering for me. So I guess it's going to be a lazy day."

"Guess so. Say, how did you enjoy the music festival?"

"It was wonderful! Mikhail knows how to make beautiful music!"

"Yeah, he does." Kana tried not to show his jealousy to Lillian. "So, I heard you and him got to hang out."

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun! I think I'm starting to like him.. more than a friend."

Kana stayed quiet. He felt his blood begin to boil. "So. How did that go."

"Well, he took me out to lunch and we stayed at Yun's until the sun started to set, and then we went to the mountain summit and watched the sun complete it's setting. I got to see the stars perfectly! It was just a good night for me. It almost seemed like it was all a dream to me."

"Did you kiss him."

"Huh?"

"Did you kiss him, Lillian."

"Um, why does it matter, Kana?"

"I want to know."

"Well, it's really none of your business, but yes. He gave me my first kiss."

"Wow, that was quick." He turned his back towards her and walked behind his counter.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lillian scoffed, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I mean, you told me that you weren't ready for a relationship. That was a week ago, so what gives?!"

"Kana, I didn't know this was going to happen! Besides, we weren't dating! And I already told you, you're my friend! I don't see you as a lover, alright?"

"Get out, Lillian. I'm done talking to you for today." He opened up the cash register and began to count his money. Lillian began to get teary eyed, as she wondered why Kana was acting the way she was.

"Kana, please just listen."

"I SAID GET OUT." Kana shouted towards her, something he never imagined doing.

Lillian shed a few tears and slammed the door behind her. She began to run towards Yun's tea house. As she approached the small house, she carefully made her way up the stairs, making sure not to slip and fall. She walked through the curtains and took down her umbrella. "Yun? Yun are you in?" She looked around and noticed that Ying came from the back room.

"H-Hi Lillian. I'm sorry, Grandma went to see mayor Ina. She'll be back in a little bit. Can I get you anything?"

"Oh. No thank you, Ying. I just needed to talk to your grandmother about something. I'll come back later, okay?"

Ying gave her a soft smile and hugged onto her legs. "Have a good day, Lillian!"

"You too, dear. Bye bye." Lillian turned and walked through the curtains. She put her umbrella back up, and felt like there were more tears coming to soak her eyes. She walked down the stairs and noticed that Nori was standing by her crops across the way. She had a red umbrella that was held high above her head. Lillian made her way over to Nori.

"Good morning, Lillian! How are you doing?"

"Terrible." Lillian stood next to her and wiped her eyes softly. Nori turned towards her and showed great concern.

"What happened?! Did the date not go good last night?"

"Oh, no.. it did! I had a wonderful time. And I stopped by to see Kana this morning and he asked how it went, and I told him about it, and he got mad and yelled at me and forced me to get out of his house." Lillian began to cry. She couldn't hold it in any longer. Nori embraced her in a hug and rubbed her back.

"It's alright, Lillian. I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"I think he hates me, Nori! What do I do?!"

"He doesn't hate you. You're his best friend, I think he's just jealous."

"He said I moved on too quickly.."

"Well, see, he's just jealous. Why, what did you and Mikhail do?!"

"N-Nothing like you think! He took me out to dinner, we watched the sun set, watched the stars and he walked me home, and kissed me.."

"Oh… I see. Yeah, I can see why Kana said that, but that wasn't right for him to do. I'm sorry he acted that way towards you. I can talk to him if you would like."

"Oh, I appreciate it, but I don't want to drag you into anything."

"You won't. How about I give it a couple of days and see what happens? Then I can help you out. Wanna come in for tea?"

"I'd love that, Nori. Thanks." She followed Nori into her and Gombe's house. She took down her umbrella once again, and sat down on the ground by the kitchen table. "I just don't get it. Why can't he be happy for me.."

"I don't know that for certain. Men are strange creatures." Nori put on a teakettle and turned on the stove. She took out two tea cups and some sugar. "I wouldn't worry about it too much."

Meanwhile..

Kana walked over to his door and flipped his lunch sign up in the window. He walked out of his house, and locked the door, swinging the key into his pocket. He walked straight down the dirt path, and towards the town hall. He walked in and saw that Ina was standing behind the counter. She smiled and gave him a kind greeting.

"Afternoon, Mikhail! What can I do for you?"

"I need to speak to Mikhail. Where's his room."

"Oh, second door on the right."

"Thank you, Ina." Kana made his way down the hall, and reached Mikhail's door. He knocked softly and waited patiently. The tall, white haired violinist answered the door and invited Kana to come inside for tea.

"It's nice of you to come by. Sit down and I'll make us some tea."

"No thank you, I just need to talk to you about something."

"Oh, about what?" Mikhail turned towards him and noticed that Mikhail's face was dark and serious.

"Lillian. Look, I know you two have a thing for each other, and I'd like to warn you, that if you EVER hurt her, or make her cry, you will have to deal with me."

Mikhail sighed and removed his glasses to polish the lenses. "I don't ever plan on doing that. Lillian's very special to me."

"And she's even more special to me. She's my best friend, so I'm going to protect her all I can. Don't you dare hurt her, or you will see the side of me that no one has ever seen before." He turned towards the door and put his hand on the knob. "I don't mean to sound rude, I'm just worried about her."

"And that's very kind of you to watch over your friends. You have my word, I won't hurt her."

Kana turned the doorknob and walked straight out of Mikhail's room, and then out of the town hall.

"Finally got that off of my chest.. I guess my lunch time is over."


	10. Chapter 10

After Lillian was done drinking her tea and visiting with Nori, she headed out to Yun's tea house. She walked up the stairs and paused in front of the curtains. She sighed and put her hand to her head. "Maybe Nori's right. Maybe he is jealous. But that doesn't give him the right to be mean to me." She walked in and straight up to the counter. She noticed that Yun was washing dishes, and Ying was helping her dry them. As soon as she noticed Lillian, she stopped what she was doing and walked straight up to the counter.

"Good afternoon, Lillian dear! Ying told me you came in earlier looking for me."

"Yeah, I did. I was looking for some junk food to help ease my feelings."

"Oh, I'm sorry I wasn't around. Why don't you take a seat and I'll serve you something sweet!"

"Alright, thank you Yun!" Before she could even turn around and seek out a table to sit at, she was caught off guard by a hug from behind! She looked up and noticed it was Mikhail.

"Hey, Lillian! I thought that was you I heard. I just finished studying my new sheet music, so why don't you sit down and keep me company?"

"That sounds awesome." Lillian followed Mikhail over to his table and sat down across from his chair. She watched as he did the same.

"So, Lillian.. how are you today? I know it's none of my business, but you look like you've been crying. What's wrong?"

"It's Kana. He's upset at me and jealous."

"I'm sorry to hear that Lillian. But, what is he jealous about?"

"About us hanging out. But, I don't care what he thinks! I enjoyed myself yesterday. It just hurts that he yelled at me. He's such a good friend, I don't want to lose his friendship."

"Ah. Well.. he came and talked to me earlier this morning.."

"About what?"

"Basically saying, that if I ever hurt you or made you cry, that he would punish me. And by punish, I think he means teach me a lesson, if you know what I mean."

Lillian looked down and balled her fists up. "I can't believe he did that. I'm so sorry Mikhail, he's actually a very nice guy!"

"Yes, he is. And please don't be sorry. He's just looking out for a friend, which I think is very noble of him. Besides, you're lucky that your friends are protective over you! It's a wonderful thing to have."

"I know. And I really appreciate my friends. Makes me feel loved."

Yun walked up to their table, soon after the conversation ended. "What can I get for you two?" She pulled out a pad of paper and a pen, eager to jot down their order.

"I'll have a slice of chocolate cake." Lillian looked up and smiled softly to Yun. She watched as Yun wrote down her order in her notebook.

"And for you, Mikhail?" She looked over to the snow-haired violinist.

"I will have a glass of oolong tea. Oh, and put Lillian's tea on my tab, okay?"

Lillian blushed and shook her head. "You don't have to do this, Mikhail."

"But I want to. You're having a rough day, and I want to make you feel better. And that means, paying for your dessert."

"Well, thank you, Mikhail. You're too sweet."

"Hey, I try to be." He gave her a smirk and watched as Yun walked off back behind the counter. "So, Lilly, I was wondering if you would like to watch the sun set with me again this evening. I'll bring my violin and play my new song for you."

"I'd like that a lot, Mikhail. I have to harvest a few things first, and then I can."

"Great! How about you meet me up at the summit around 4:00?"

"I can do that!" She began to blush. 'Another date with Mikhail? He's got to have a thing for me! Ooh I wonder if he'll kiss me again!' Thinking about tonight made her completely forget about how Kana treated her that morning. After a few moments, Yun came back over to their table with a tray holding Lillian's cake, and Mikhail's tea. She sat both items down in front of the matching guest.

"Thank you, Yun!" Lillian exclaimed as she grabbed a fork and began digging into her huge slice of cake.

"Yes, thank you Yun." Mikhail smiled to her and nodded. Yun sat the bill in front of Mikhail, and before she could walk away, he handed her back the bill and some gold. "Keep the change, you always treat us great!"

"Thank you very much you two! Come by again!" She walked back to the counter and began washing her dishes once more. Lillian took her time with eating her rich cake, as Mikhail sipped his tea and carried on a conversation with Lillian. They talked more about Lillian's farm, his music, her favorite food, and then Mikhail realized it was almost 2:00 PM.

"Hey, shouldn't you be doing work? It's already 2."

"Ah! I didn't even realize, I was having fun and enjoying my cake!" Lillian jumped up from her seat and pushed it back into the table. "I'll meet you up at the summit at 4. I promise!"

Mikhail laughed and took his glasses off to clean. "Alright. Be careful and don't work too hard. I'll see you up there later."

"You too, bye Mikhail!" Lillian ran out of the restaurant and straight down the dirt path. She glanced over at Kana's farm and remembered their spat earlier. She saw that he was grooming Hayate, so she hurried the pace before he noticed her. 'There's no way I'm going to talk to him until he apologizes. I'm still hurt from it. Oh, but I have another date with Mikhail! I better finish my work quick so I can shower and pick out a cute outfit!" She reached her farm and walked over to her cart. She opened it up and took out her watering can. She walked over to the crops that were ready to be harvested, and began picking the vegetables, and placing them on the ground next to her. The ones that weren't quite ready would receive a healthy drink of water.

Meanwhile, Mikhail was back in his room. He felt his stomach flip and flop as he grabbed his toiletries. "I need to take a shower. I want to smell good, after all." He walked out of his room and down the hall to the town hall showering room. He opened the door and locked it behind him. He took off his sweater and looked in the mirror. "I feel like I'm forgetting something. OH! My jacket… Lillian still has it." He blushed and noticed that he had a sheepish grin across his face. He took off his glasses and placed them on the vanity. "My first kiss seemed awesome; I just hope she enjoyed it. She's not like the other girls I've dated. All of them either were too busy or always thought of me as just a friend. I just hope Lillian's different."

He got completely naked, and stepped inside of the steaming hot shower. He began to run his fingers through his hair, wondering if it was time for him to get a haircut. He couldn't stop thinking about what Kana said to him. He felt threatened, as if Kana thought he was a bad person. But he wasn't. He just wanted to be loved, and to love back. He wasn't cold hearted, and never dreamed of hurting a woman. He shook it off and began lathering his body with a strong smelling cologne soap.

As soon as Lillian was done with her chores, she rushed inside and placed her freshly harvested vegetables near the sink to be washed later on. She headed straight for the shower and began to clean herself up. She always took the longest showers, but today it took her even longer. She wanted to make sure she was pretty and clean. As soon as she was done, she carefully stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. She walked over to her vanity and opened up a drawer to grab her brush. She began gently brushing her hair, and soon grabbed her hair dryer. As soon as she felt presentable, she walked out to her dresser, and pulled out her favorite dress that her mother made her right before she passed away. To her surprise, it still fit. It was a sleeveless dress that was violet and had a green ribbon that wrapped around her waist and finished in the back in the shape of a fancy bow. There was green lace trimmed at the bottom , and the dress came a little bit above her knees. It flared out a bit, giving it a cocktail dress feel. She had matching purple shoes with a green strap that went across her toes that finished into a bow. She walked back into the bathroom and opened a drawer that had all of her hair accessories inside. She took out a green bow and laced it under her hair and tied a bow on top of her head. She looked in the mirror and smiled. "I hope I'm not getting too dolled up for watching the sun set." She decided not to put on any make-up, feeling that she was already too dressed up.

She walked out to the main part of her house and looked at the clock. It was already 3:30. She turned off all of her lights, grabbed her house key and walked out the door, while making sure to lock the door behind her. It took her a few minutes to make it to the top of the mountain. It would have taken her half the time if she wasn't wearing high heels. As soon as she reached the summit, she saw that Mikhail was facing towards the cliff, his violin in his hands. He happened to turn around and noticed that she was walking towards him.

"Whoa, Lillian, you look amazing!" He stood up and walked over to her, embracing her in a hug.

"Thank you, Mikhail. I thought I would wear my favorite dress." She hugged him back, sinking deeper into his embrace.

"It's beautiful. But you didn't have to get all dressed up just for me!"

"Aw, well I'm not that dressed up!" She began to pout. Mikhail let out a small chuckle and took her hand. He led her over to where he was sitting and pulled her down gently. The sun was already beginning to set. He propped his violin onto his shoulder and hugged it with his chin as he began to slide his bow across the strings. It made the most beautiful sound. Lillian watched him play, astonished by the music that she was hearing.

She sank deeper into the song, imagining herself dancing in an open field, with no one looking. The melody started out happy, but had it's sad parts wrapped up into it. Mikhail stopped playing a few minutes later and sat his violin down on his lap. Lillian began to clap, feeling sad that his performance was over.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"I did, very much so!"

"I wrote this song last night after I dropped you off at your house. It tells the story of a young man falling in love with a beautiful girl."

"Well, I love it, Mikhail. You're so talented!"

"Thanks, Lilly. But you know, I wrote the song for you."

"Aww, Mikhail that's so sweet of you."

"Thanks, it means a lot knowing that you like it so much."

"Of course I like it, Mikhail! Your music is so relaxing! It takes me to many different places, and my imagination always goes wild."

"I'm glad, Lillian. I really am. It makes me so happy knowing that you like my music."

"Well, I'm glad you're happy. That's all that matters, right?"

"Yes. My happiness seems to intensify when I'm with you, I can't shake that feeling, and I don't ever want to."

Lillian began to blush. "It's the same for me, Mikhail. You're so nice to me."

"Lilly, I know it's only been a couple of weeks, but I'm falling for you, quite hard. I can't stop thinking about you, and I want you to be mine. I want you to be my love."


	11. Chapter 11

Lillian was in total shock. She had high hopes that he had feelings for her, but she didn't think she would grow on him this quickly. She could feel herself blushing deeper and deeper as the moments went by. She was silent, but had a bright smile across her face.

"Mikhail.. I don't know what to say.."

"It's okay, if you don't feel the same way, I understand completely."

"No! No no it's not that at all! I do like you.. a lot. I feel the same way you do, I'm just shocked that you like me."

"Shocked?"

"In a good way! I'm super happy."

"Well then, be my girlfriend."

"Mikhail, are you sure? I mean, you've only known me for a little over a week.."

"Yes, I'm sure. Are you sure about it?"

"Of course I am! And that's why I accept."

Mikhail grabbed her hands and pulled her in close to himself. He kissed her deeply and laid her back onto the grass. The sun was beginning its final setting, but Mikhail and Lillian were too busy making out to realize it. Mikhail stopped and looked down at Lillian.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away."

"Yeah, so did i."

Mikhail helped Lillian up and pulled her close to him. He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed her tight.

"The sunset is so beautiful tonight."

"It is. But you are more beautiful." He smirked towards Lillian and then looked back towards the orange sky. Lillian's mind began to race. She was in a relationship now, and it was the first relationship she's been for over 4 years! She hoped that it would last, and that she wouldn't have too much work to do to keep her occupied. She looked to Mikhail and took a deep breath.

"I apologize ahead of time for being busy with work.."

"Don't be sorry, I know it happens. Besides, that's how you make money, right?"

"Right." She smiled brightly and looked back at the sky. She felt the butterflies soon disappear from her stomach. She felt at ease with her feelings. With him. It wasn't long until Lillian began to shiver from the cold autumn air. Mikhail noticed and went to take off his jacket, but it wasn't around his shoulders. He remembered that he gave his jacket to Lillian on their last date. He took her hand and stood up, pulling her up with him.

"I think it's time we go home."

"I'm sorry I'm cutting it short. I forgot to give you back your jacket." She sighed and looked up to him. She noticed he was smiling, and then was gently tugged to a gentle walk. They began to walk down the mountain, towards their small town. As soon as they reached Lillian's farm, Mikhail led her up to the door and spun her towards it.

"Thank you for another wonderful night. You took my mind off of everything that happened earlier."

"You're welcome, Lillian. I just hate seeing you upset, so I had to help you forget. I know you'd do the same for me."

"That I would. Oh! Come inside, I'll make us some tea and give you back your jacket! Besides, it isn't that late."

Mikhail nodded. He couldn't turn down a warm cup of tea, and needed his jacket back just in case Lillian needed it some other time. He stepped inside and watched Lillian as she shuffled to the kitchen, while she put the teapot on the stove.

"What Kind of tea would you like?"

"Oolong, if you have it." He sat down at the table and continued to watch her. He noticed that she had a special way of touching his heart, even when he looked at her.

"Alright, it's brewing now." She walked over to the table and sat across from him. "Heh, it's kinda dejavu isn't it? I think that should be your chair!"

"It is, and yes it should be, it suits me nicely! So, Lillian, what are you going to do about Kana."

"What about him?"

"Well, he's upset because we have been hanging out a lot, right? Well, what is he going to say when he finds out that we are in a relationship?"

"Honestly, if he's going to be a child about it, and take his anger out on me, then I won't put up with it. Everyone deserves happiness, and besides, Nori really likes him. So it's not like he'll be alone forever."

"Yeah. I guess. But isn't that's kind of harsh for you to think?"

"I know. He's my best friend, but I'm still really hurt about what he did earlier today. I hope you don't think I'm rude."

"No, not at all. I know I would think that way if I was you, even though it may not be right."

"Mikhail, thank you for being my friend, and now my boyfriend. You've taught me so much, and I'm grateful for that."

"You're welcome, Lillian. You've done the same for me, so we're even." He let out a small chuckle and gazed into his girlfriend's eyes. He watched as she got up without warning, and shuffled her way towards the stove. She took out a can of loose leaf tea, and a couple of teacups. She took a couple pinches of the tea and placed it in the steel screen that was barely under the hot water. She put everything on a small tray and walked over to the table.

"Tea's ready! This is a strawberry oolong, it's good for relaxation!" She grabbed ahold of the teapot and began to pour Mikhail some tea. After she was finished with his, she moved to her cup, tilting the teapot gently to pour the hot liquid. She sat down the pot and began to sip her tea. She studied Mikhail as he took his first sip. He smacked his lips together and smiled brightly.

"This is delicious! Where do you get this kind of tea?"

"Oh, I brought it with me when I moved. It's one of my favorites, there was a tea shop back in my old town that I used to visit all the time. I had quite a collection going, but I had to give the rest to my grandmother because I had so much." She took another sip and wrapped her hands around the warm ceramic cup.

"That's awesome. You'll definitely need to take me sometime! I love drinking tea and playing my violin, it's so soothing!"

"I bet it is! In exchange, you'll have to teach me violin sometime!"

"It's a deal, then." He looked over to her clock and noticed that it was already 11:00. "I should really be going. It's getting late." He stood up, and Lillian followed the motion. She walked him to the door and opened it up.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Lillian ran back to the table to retrieve his jacket from the back of her chair. She brought it to him, and watched as he put it around his shoulders.

"Thank you, Lillian. I know you would take good care of it. I love this jacket!"

"You're welcome. Thank you for letting me use it, it's very warm."

Mikhail bent down and kissed her softly, and then pulled her in for a tight hug. "I'll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams."

"You too, Mikhail." She smiled softly and watched as he left her farm.

I'm so sorry for the lack of updates. But, my life is pretty busy ^^' I hope you all enjoy the new chapter!

The next morning was just like every other morning. Lillian awoke, made breakfast, got dressed and headed outside to tend to her crops. The only thing that was different? She was in a relationship with Mikhail. She seemed much happier than she normally was, and hurried up with her chores, giving her extra time to scope around Konohana. She harvested the pumpkins that were ready to be sold, and put them in her small wheelbarrow. She wheeled it to the town crate, where everyone dropped their items off in exchange for money.

Lillian placed the pumpkins in the crate gently, insuring that they wouldn't get bumped or bruised. She closed the lid slowly, making sure not to slam it shut. She wheeled the wheelbarrow back to her farm, and decided to set off into town to tell Nori the good news. As she began to walk down the dirt path, she heard her name being called. She turned around and noticed that Kana was running towards his fence, and quickly jumped it to greet her.

"Hey, do you want to talk?"

"I guess." Lillian seemed kind of annoyed, feeling like Kana forgot their argument.

Kana rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. It's just kind of hard to stomach that you like someone else besides me. But, I'm okay now. I just want you to be happy, that's all."

"Well, I appreciate your apology, but Mikhail told me how you came and threatened him to treat me good."

"Ah. He told you, eh.." He sighed and looked down.

"Yeah, and you shouldn't be doing that. He's a good guy, Kana. And I appreciate you standing up for me and making sure I don't get hurt and all… but just be kind to him, okay?"

"Alright, Lillian. I'm sorry about that."

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have upset you like that. And I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know you didn't. And don't be sorry, it was my fault. Truce?

"Truce." Lillian smiled and held out her hand. She watched as Kana hesitantly took her hand and shook it firmly. She let out a soft laugh and watched him blush. She could still sense that he was jealous, but decided to shake it off.

"So, are you two good friends now?"

"Eh, more than that. We're dating now."

"Oh. Congrats, Lilly!"

"Thanks. I'm pretty stoked about it. I was on my way to tell Nori."

"Well, why don't I let you go so you can do that, okay? I need to attend to my horses."

"Alright. See you later, Kana." Lillian wrapped her arms around him, feeling him hug her back strongly.

"You too, Lillian." He watched as she walked down the dirt path towards Konohana. He sighed and hopped over his fence, and walked over to his prized horse, Hayate. 'I'm glad she's happy, although it breaks my heart to see her with someone else. Oh well, I should be happy that she's my best friend.' He said to himself as he began to brush his horse.

Meanwhile, Lillian entered the small town and walked straight towards Nori's house. She knocked on the door, and in no time, her good friend answered.

"Hey, how are you today?"

"Oh I'm doing good! Something really awesome happened last night!"

"No way. Come inside and we can talk about it!" Nori led her inside and straight to her room. Nori sat on her bed, and watched as Lillian sat on her floor.

"I feel like such a teenager doing this.. but.. Mikhail's my boyfriend now!"

"Yay! I'm so happy for you, Lillian! You two make a cute couple!"

"Thanks. But, Is it wrong that I'm nervous? I mean, this is my first boyfriend since like.. a few years ago. I like him a lot, I just hope it lasts."

"So, in other words, you hope he gives you a blue feather?"

"What?! So soon?! No! I mean.. I want it to be a little bit before I get married. But it would be nice if he was the one for me."

"I can feel it, he is! Don't be so negative, Lillian dear! Besides, I've seen the way he looks at you. He's head over heels for you! And to write a song about you!"

"Wait, how did you know that he wrote the song about me?"

"Come on. Who doesn't know?! He even dedicated it to someone special, which is you! Face it, Lillian!"

"Well, it could be about his master, or his mom or dad.. or a good friend."

"Or you." Nori smirked and began to laugh as she noticed that Lillian was blushing. She nudged her and calmed her laughter. "Come on, it's okay! There's no need to be embarrassed. You're his now!"

"Yeah, you're right Nori. Thanks for listening to me."

"Hey, what are friends for? Now I have to find a way to confess my feelings to Kana."

"Well, I'd wait on that for a couple of days. I think he's still bummed about me and Mikhail." Lillian sighed and looked down.

"Don't worry, I have a plan! I'll tell him when my heart tells me to!"

"That's a good plan." Lillian stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of her skirt. "Thanks for having me over, but I think I'm going to see how Mikhail's doing."

"You know today's his birthday, right?"

".. WHAT?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" With no time at all, she ran out of Nori's house and straight to her own. She felt embarrassed that she forgot all about her boyfriend's birthday. She had to make him his favorite dish, because she didn't know what else to get for him.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning was just like every other morning. Lillian awoke, made breakfast, got dressed and headed outside to tend to her crops. The only thing that was different? She was in a relationship with Mikhail. She seemed much happier than she normally was, and hurried up with her chores, giving her extra time to scope around Konohana. She harvested the pumpkins that were ready to be sold, and put them in her small wheelbarrow. She wheeled it to the town crate, where everyone dropped their items off in exchange for money.

Lillian placed the pumpkins in the crate gently, insuring that they wouldn't get bumped or bruised. She closed the lid slowly, making sure not to slam it shut. She wheeled the wheelbarrow back to her farm, and decided to set off into town to tell Nori the good news. As she began to walk down the dirt path, she heard her name being called. She turned around and noticed that Kana was running towards his fence, and quickly jumped it to greet her.

"Hey, do you want to talk?"

"I guess." Lillian seemed kind of annoyed, feeling like Kana forgot their argument.

Kana rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. It's just kind of hard to stomach that you like someone else besides me. But, I'm okay now. I just want you to be happy, that's all."

"Well, I appreciate your apology, but Mikhail told me how you came and threatened him to treat me good."

"Ah. He told you, eh.." He sighed and looked down.

"Yeah, and you shouldn't be doing that. He's a good guy, Kana. And I appreciate you standing up for me and making sure I don't get hurt and all… but just be kind to him, okay?"

"Alright, Lillian. I'm sorry about that."

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have upset you like that. And I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know you didn't. And don't be sorry, it was my fault. Truce?

"Truce." Lillian smiled and held out her hand. She watched as Kana hesitantly took her hand and shook it firmly. She let out a soft laugh and watched him blush. She could still sense that he was jealous, but decided to shake it off.

"So, are you two good friends now?"

"Eh, more than that. We're dating now."

"Oh. Congrats, Lilly!"

"Thanks. I'm pretty stoked about it. I was on my way to tell Nori."

"Well, why don't I let you go so you can do that, okay? I need to attend to my horses."

"Alright. See you later, Kana." Lillian wrapped her arms around him, feeling him hug her back strongly.

"You too, Lillian." He watched as she walked down the dirt path towards Konohana. He sighed and hopped over his fence, and walked over to his prized horse, Hayate. 'I'm glad she's happy, although it breaks my heart to see her with someone else. Oh well, I should be happy that she's my best friend.' He said to himself as he began to brush his horse.

Meanwhile, Lillian entered the small town and walked straight towards Nori's house. She knocked on the door, and in no time, her good friend answered.

"Hey, how are you today?"

"Oh I'm doing good! Something really awesome happened last night!"

"No way. Come inside and we can talk about it!" Nori led her inside and straight to her room. Nori sat on her bed, and watched as Lillian sat on her floor.

"I feel like such a teenager doing this.. but.. Mikhail's my boyfriend now!"

"Yay! I'm so happy for you, Lillian! You two make a cute couple!"

"Thanks. But, Is it wrong that I'm nervous? I mean, this is my first boyfriend since like.. a few years ago. I like him a lot, I just hope it lasts."

"So, in other words, you hope he gives you a blue feather?"

"What?! So soon?! No! I mean.. I want it to be a little bit before I get married. But it would be nice if he was the one for me."

"I can feel it, he is! Don't be so negative, Lillian dear! Besides, I've seen the way he looks at you. He's head over heels for you! And to write a song about you!"

"Wait, how did you know that he wrote the song about me?"

"Come on. Who doesn't know?! He even dedicated it to someone special, which is you! Face it, Lillian!"

"Well, it could be about his master, or his mom or dad.. or a good friend."

"Or you." Nori smirked and began to laugh as she noticed that Lillian was blushing. She nudged her and calmed her laughter. "Come on, it's okay! There's no need to be embarrassed. You're his now!"

"Yeah, you're right Nori. Thanks for listening to me."

"Hey, what are friends for? Now I have to find a way to confess my feelings to Kana."

"Well, I'd wait on that for a couple of days. I think he's still bummed about me and Mikhail." Lillian sighed and looked down.

"Don't worry, I have a plan! I'll tell him when my heart tells me to!"

"That's a good plan." Lillian stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of her skirt. "Thanks for having me over, but I think I'm going to see how Mikhail's doing."

"You know today's his birthday, right?"

".. WHAT?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" With no time at all, she ran out of Nori's house and straight to her own. She felt embarrassed that she forgot all about her boyfriend's birthday. She had to make him his favorite dish, because she didn't know what else to get for him. She burst through her door and slammed it shut, making a quick dash for the kitchen. She opened up her fridge and pulled out the ingredients to make boiled tofu. As she prepared the dish, she glanced over at her clock and noticed that it was only noon.

"I really hope he doesn't think I forgot about his birthday.." She sighed and began to simmer the tofu. She walked into the bathroom and began to fix her hair up in a half ponytail. As soon as she was done, she took the dish off of the heat, and placed a sheet of aluminum foil over the top to keep it warm. She handled the bottom of the pot with a thick oven mitt, and made her way out the door, and towards Konohana again. She walked inside of the town hall and towards Mikhail's room. She gave two knocks, and soon heard him shuffle towards the door. He opened the door with a smile, expecting to see Lillian. He was right.

"Happy birthday, Mikhail!" She handed him the pot of boiled tofu.

"Oh, thank you Lillian! Is this.."

"Boiled Tofu, your favorite!" She smiled softly as she watched Mikhail's face light up.

"Wow, thank you so much Lillian! This is the best gift ever!" He hugged her tight and almost caused her to drop his dish. He put his hands on her shoulders to steady her, and led her inside of his room.


	13. Chapter 13

"So, did you finish all of your chores for today?" Mikhail pulled out a small chair for Lillian to sit in. She sat down and looked behind her.

"Yeah, I just wanted to get everything done in one fellow swoop. Besides, I wanted to spend the day with you, seeing that it's your birthday." She didn't even think about telling Mikhail that she forgot. Instead, she crossed her legs and laced her fingers together to rest on top of her knees.

"Well, I really appreciate it. I've never really celebrated my birthday, so this makes it even more special for me!" He sat down on his bed across from where Lillian was sitting. "So, how are you feeling from yesterday? Still sad at all?"

"No, not anymore. When I was walking here, Kana stopped me and apologized. He knows about us dating, and he seemed okay with it. I'm just glad there's no tension now. I hate feeling like I made someone mad, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do. It's no fun feeling like that. Say, do you feel like taking a little trip with me to the city? I need to get maintenance done on my violin."

"I'd love to go! I have some extra money I'm dying to spend!"

"Great! Do you think we can take your horse?"

"Yeah, I mean we could, but it would be a tight squeeze. Oh I know! We could rent one from Kana's shop!"

"Do you think he would mind? I mean, I really don't want you to spend your money on that."

"It's not a problem. Come on!" She jumped up and took his hand while leading him to Kana's farm. As they approached, they saw all of Kana's horses outside, grazing on the fresh green grass. Lillian let go of Mikhail's hand and opened the door to Kana's shop. They walked up to the counter and Lillian rang the bell. Within moments, Kana came out from the back room.

"Hey you two, can I help you with anything today?" Kana walked up to the register, wondering what Lillian and Mikhail were up to.

"We'd like to rent a horse! You see, it's Mikhail's birthday and we need to go to the city for a few things."

"Certainly. And since it's his birthday, it's on the house this time." Kana smiled and walked out from behind the counter.

"Wow, thank you, Kana, I really appreciate this!" Mikhail shook his hand firmly and smiled softly. He felt like he was being treated like a king! He couldn't wait to see what else was in store for him.

"Not a problem. Now, follow me you two." Kana led both of them out the door and into Kana's barn. The two of them looked around at the different horses. Mikhail noticed that Lillian's eyes lit up when she saw all of them. Just as he thought, she was an animal lover.

"Kana, they're all beautiful! Which one will we be taking?" Lillian said brightly as she looked around.

"You will be taking Maple. She loves to hike through the mountains." He opened a stall and out came a tan and white spotted horse with a dark tan mane. Lillian ran up to her and began to pet her nose.

"She's beautiful! Thank you Kana!"

"You're both very welcome. Now, return her to me when you are done, and take good care of her! I'm trusting you two.."

"Oh, we'll take good care of her." Lillian took ahold of her reins and led her out of the barn. Kana and Mikhail followed. When Lillian was far enough away, Kana looked over to Mikhail and gave him a pat on the back.

"Have a good birthday. And remember what I told you before."

"Thanks, and I remember. Trust me I don't ever plan on making her cry." Mikhail smiled and shook Kana's hand again. Kana felt his heart sink a little, but shook it off as he walked back into his shop. As Lillian, Maple and Mikhail walked back to her farm, Mikhail looked up to the sky. 'Chances are we might not make it back before dark. Maybe we shouldn't go."

"I'm so excited, Mikhail! I haven't been to the city in awhile!"

'On second thought, I don't want to disappoint her..' He cleared his throat and smiled at Lillian. "Yeah, I am too."

Lillian handed him the reins and walked into her barn. She walked out with Kitsu, and swiftly pulled herself on Kitsu's back. She grabbed his reins and trotted over to Mikhail. He looked up to her, a sheepish grin and light blush across his cheeks.

"I've.. never ridden a horse before." He rubbed the back of his neck and watched Lillian smile.

"It's easy! All you do is put one foot in the stirrup and pull yourself up. You just bounce as you're riding, it helps make it smoother. If it makes you feel any better, I learned how to ride by myself a year ago."

"Yeah, it kinda does." He tried to pull himself up, but struggled to lift himself up. "I'm a musician, not a body builder." He chuckled to himself and finally lifted himself up after the second try.

"Good job, Mikhail! I knew you could do it!"

Mikhail blushed and tried to balance himself on Maple. After a few moments, he felt like he had the hang of it. Lillian led Kitsu in front of Maple and Mikhail, and began to trot up the mountain. Mikhail watched as she gently bobbed up and down on Kitsu and he shook his head. 'So that's why they call it cowgirl..' he laughed to himself, not daring to repeat what he just said in fear of making Lillian think he was a perv. They rode down a mountain path, and up and down a few hills on the way. When they were getting close to the city, Lillian could smell the difference in the air.

"We're getting close, Mikhail!" Lillian snapped Kitsu's reins and made him gallop.

"Wait for me, Lillian!" Mikhail tried to snap his reins, but ended up making Maple pissed. After a few moments of coaxing her, she finally began to pick up speed. A bit later, and he caught up to Lillian. Before long they were in the entrance to the city. Lillian stopped Kitsu and looked around in awe.

"Its.. beautiful. I've never been to this city!"

"Then how did you know how to get here?" Mikhail slowed to a stop and looked over at Lillian.

"Well, I mean I've been through this city, it's right after my old city. But I've never really paid attention, or shopped here for that matter." She got down slowly from Kitsu and held tightly onto his reins. Mikhail followed her movement and grabbed her hand, and Maple's reins in the other.

"Careful, this city's pretty busy. I don't want you getting lost."

"You're so sweet, thank you for caring Mikhail. Now, let's get your violin worked on! Show me the way!"

"Alright, here we go." Mikhail began to lead Lillian and the two horses towards the violin shop.


	14. Chapter 14

Lillian and Mikhail reached the old brick building that had a slightly rusted sign above the door. Mikhail grabbed the handle of the door, opened it slowly and held it open for Lillian. She smiled and nodded her thanks, and entered the small violin shop. Behind the counter stood an older woman around 50. She instantly looked up from her work when she heard the door open.

"Good afternoon! What can I help you two with?"

"Natasha! It's so good to see you!" Mikhail walked up to the counter and sat his violin case down on the counter. Lillian watched as the woman came around the counter and gave Mikhail a gentle hug.

"How have you been, Mikhail? It's been almost a year now. Your violin must need work done, yes?"

"Yes, it does. Just a checkup and maybe some new strings." He smiled and opened his case, revealing his violin. It still had a shiny coat of varnish, and looked like it was well taken care of for something that was handed down. Lillian approached Mikhail and looked down at his violin case.

"Oh Mikhail! Is this your girlfriend?" Natasha exclaimed, noticing Mikhail's face light up when she mentioned those words.

"Yes. Lillian, this is Natasha. She's the owner of this shop, I always come to her to get my repairs done."

Lillian extended her hand and smiled brightly. "Hello, it's nice to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you two dearie. I've known Mikhail since he was a young boy! He's very talented and so passionate about his music."

"That he is! He's quite the gentleman too!"

Mikhail cleared his throat and took out his violin. Lillian noticed that he was blushing. "Alright, Natasha can you please examine my violin?"

"Oh, yes of course dear." She took a pair of small rimmed glasses out from a drawer that was below the cash register and placed them gently upon her nose. She held Mikhail's violin gently in her hands, and began to examine it. Up, down, left and right. Behind the strings, above the strings, the bridge and even the bow itself. "Hmm, well it doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with it. Have you had any troubles?"

"No, not at all. I just need a pair of back up strings. And I thought I would get it checked up just in case there was something I was missing."

"Well you did the right thing! Let me get you some strings." She turned around and took a small package of strings off of a hook that was hanging slightly upon the wall that was behind her. "Do you need any rosin today?"

"Yeah, I might as well get some while I'm here." He took out his wallet that was stashed into his front coat pocket. He emptied coins into his hand and began counting them with his index finger. "How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about owing me a thing, dear. As I recall, it's your birthday today."

"You remembered! I appreciate it but I would still like to give you some money for it."

"No Mikhail. It's yours." She smiled and placed the strings and rosin in a small paper bag. She handed them to Mikhail and watched as he placed the bag into his pocket with his wallet. He smiled and slightly bowed to Natasha.

"Thank you so much, Natasha. This means a lot to me, really it does."

"No need to thank me. Now, I hate to cut it short, but I need to take a lunch break and price some things. You two stop on by anytime you like! And Lillian, it was nice meeting you. Take good care of Mikhail for me, okay?"

"I will." Lillian blushed and shook Natasha's hand once more.

"I'll be back again! Take care, Natasha!" Mikhail took Lillian's hand and laced his fingers with hers. The couple walked out of the music shop and back to the horses.

"She seems very sweet, Mikhail."

"Thanks. She's a very nice lady, and very knowledgeable. You see, her father opened up that shop, but when he passed away, she took over. She's been playing violin since she was 4."

"That's amazing! I hope to one day open up a shop and sell my crops."

"You can do whatever you put your mind to, Lillian. I believe in you."

Lillian blushed deeply and looked down at her feet. "Aw, Mikhail. Thank you for encouragement. I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem. Just trying to be a good boyfriend, that's all."

"You are a good boyfriend! Don't ever think otherwise, alright?"

"Alright. Say, where would you like to go next?"

Lillian looked up to the sky and to the west. It was looking like there was a storm that was slowly approaching. Lillian shuddered and looked back to Mikhail. "Oh, well we should get going. It looks like it could rain."

"We don't have to go if you don't want to."

"I know but.. I.. really don't want the horses out in this."

Mikhail looked up to the sky and to the west. He sighed and rubbed Lillian's back. "Alright, let's head back."

They pulled themselves up onto their horses, and began riding back to Konohana. The air smelt of rain, the atmosphere was still. Lillian had a gut feeling that there was going to be a storm, and not just rain. She took a deep breath and gripped onto Kitsu's reins. Mikhail noticed that Lillian was being extra quiet, and this bothered him.

"You okay, Lilly? You seem upset."

"No, I'm okay." She said quietly. She heard rumbling in the distance, and they still were at least 45 minutes away. They were walking through the woods on the trail that lead up to the mountain, and they were surrounded by trees. To Lillian, this didn't exactly seem like the safest place to be during a storm.

Mikhail overheard the thunder and decided to speak up. "Lilly.. are you afraid of storms?"

Lillian was quiet.

"Lilly, it's okay if you are. There's nothing wrong with it."

She was still quiet.

Mikhail sighed and caught up to her and Kitsu. He looked over and noticed that she had her head slightly down, and that she looked as if she was blushing. "Don't be ashamed, Lillian. We all have things we are afraid of."

"I know that."

"Well, then why are you embarrassed?"

"Because. It's something a little kid is supposed to be afraid of. I'm grown up."

"So? Look. I'm not going to leave you behind. Let's find some shelter, okay?"

"Alright, Mikhail."

Lillian led the way. The thunder got closer and closer to the two, and soon the clouds were right behind them, sneaking up like a silent killer. Mikhail spotted a small cave that seemed to be big enough for both of them, plus the horses. The only problem was, it was behind a waterfall.

"Lilly, over here." Mikhail steered off the path and jumped off of his horse. He held onto Maple's reins and led her over to the waterfall. Lillian followed, making sure Kitsu knew where to step. As soon as she made her way over, the wind began to pick up. She jumped off of Kitsu and held onto his reins tightly.

"It's not the greatest thing in the world, but it can shelter us. Look, you don't even have to get wet, either. There's a small gap between the fall and the cave."

"Alright. Let's stay here for now." Before they could make it over to the gap, it began to pour down rain. Kitsu and Maple grew frantic, and it was up to Lillian to calm them down. Mikhail grabbed Lillian's hand and helped her into the cave. She tugged Kitsu inside, and watched as Mikhail did the same for Maple. Inside the cave was nice and dry, except for a couple of small puddles that were split across the cave. Mikhail took off his glasses and began to clean them off.

"I'm soaked." He began to chuckle, and noticed that Lillian was shaking like a leaf. He stopped laughing and took off his coat, draping it across Lillian's shoulders.

"Mikhail, you need your jacket! You'll get sick-"

"I don't care. I'd rather get sick than see you suffer with illness." He pulled her close to him and helped her down to the ground. He ran his fingers through her hair and gently rubbed her back. Claps of thunder rumbled through the trees and echoed inside of the small cave. With each one, Lillian jumped and let out a small whimper. Mikhail was there to calm her down.

"It's alright Lilly. I won't let you go."

"Mikhail.. Thank you for being here for me. I'm sorry that I have bad luck."

"You don't have bad luck. It's nature. Nature's unpredictable. Besides, think of it as a melody."

Because of Mikhail's coaxing, Lillian would overcome her fear slowly. She cuddled close to him and closed her eyes, ignoring the sound of the thunder and the flashes of lightening. The storm went on for what seemed hours. Both horses were calm, and resting up against each other.

"It's getting late." Mikhail sighed and stared out into the waterfall.

"I know. I'm sorry that you have to spend your birthday like this."

"Oh, I don't mind. Besides, you're with me. This has been the best birthday so far."

"It has?"

"Yes, it has. Thank you for coming with me, Lillian."

"Anytime Mikhail."

Both of them became quiet. Mikhail looked down at Lillian and noticed that she was asleep. He kissed her forehead softly and squeezed onto her tightly. It felt like they were in that cave for hours, but that was not the case at all. Mikhail looked at his watch on his left wrist and noticed that it was only 9 PM. Within moments of looking at the time, the rain settled to a soft mist, and the thunder was fading off into the distance. With the storm, the temperature dropped to a shocking 46 degrees. He decided to nudge Lillian awake, so they could both get home and sleep in their own beds. He brushed his hand across her cheek.

"Lilly.. hey wake up. The storm's over."

Lillian slowly woke up. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms to the ceiling. "Hmm.. what did you say, Mikhail?"

"The storm's over now. Let's try to get home, okay?"

"Alright. Let's get going then." She stood up slowly and stretched her arms once again. Mikhail followed the motion, and walked over to the horses, waking them up from their nap. After they woke them up, they guided them out of the cave and back onto the trail. Lillian gripped tightly onto Mikhail's coat, feeling a dramatic difference in the temperature.

"It's a lot colder now.."

"Yeah. I'm sorry it's not much but at least you're not freezing, right?"

"Mmmhmm. I feel bad though, because I have your coat."

"Don't feel bad. I'd rather you be warm than freezing."

"Well, I appreciate it a lot. Thank you Mikhail."

"No problem. Now, let's get home."

The two traveled down the muddy trail for quite some time. They reached the mountain trail and moved quickly towards Konohana. They were 10 minutes away from their tiny town, when it began to rain again, this time coming down harder than back at the cave.

"Lillian! We need to book it!" Mikhail shouted towards Lillian. His voice was battling against the hard rain. Lillian kept focus as she whipped Kitsu's reins against his neck. Kitsu began to gallop, picking up speed with each moment. Mikhail whipped Maple's reins and soon caught up with Lillian and Kitsu. They finally made it to the Konohana town limit, and both slowed their horses down to a stop once they reached the Town Hall. Lillian and Mikhail jumped down, and ran up the steps to take cover from the rain. They were both soaked, but Mikhail was more than Lillian.

"I'm sorry your birthday didn't turn out great in the end."

"Are you kidding me? I had a blast. I got to spend the day with you. And I rode a horse for the first time! Thank you, Lillian. This has been the best birthday ever." He leaned down and kissed her softly. Lillian wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer to him.

"Go inside and dry off. I'll go return Maple to Kana's."

"Alright. Be safe. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I will. Sweet dreams Mikhail."

"You too, bye Lilly." He walked inside of the building and straight to his room. Lillian stood there for a moment, and then decided to move on to Kana's house. She took both reins in her hands and made her way towards Kana's home. Once she was in front of his house, she noticed that there were no lights on, so she decided to take Maple back to Kana's barn. She tied Kitsu's reins to the fence, and opened the gate to take Maple back. She walked her inside of the barn and back into her stall. She closed the door and was startled by a voice.

"Thanks for bringing her back. But, you're soaked! You should get home and get dry." Kana stepped out of Hayate's stall and walked up to Lillian. She rubbed the back of her neck and sighed.

"You scared the shit out of me."

"I'm sorry. I found the perfect opportunity. So how was Mikhail's birthday?"

"It was really fun. It was his first time riding a horse, and he enjoyed it! He gave me his jacket once it started to rain.."

"That's a true gentleman for you. If he didn't, I would be pretty upset if he didn't offer it to you."

"Yeah, well I wouldn't be. I feel bad that he's drenched."

"Well, don't. You are too! Besides, at least it's not soda." He chuckled and noticed that Lillian had her head down. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired. I should be going so I can dry off."

"Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. Be careful walking home, okay? And stop by sometime. Don't be a stranger now."

"I won't. Goodnight Kana. And thanks again for letting us borrow Maple."

"No problem. Have a good night, Lil."

Lillian walked back to Kitsu and untied his reins. She began to head back to her house, noticing that it wasn't raining anymore. She finally made it to her farm, and dropped Kitsu off into his stall. "Goodnight Kitsu. Thanks for bringing me home saftely." She walked out of the barn and straight into her house. While walking to the bathroom to freshen up, she couldn't help but recap their day. 'Did he really stop my fear of storms..? I never thought it was possible.'

Before she could think of anything else, she was in her bed and passed out, dreaming of more dates with Mikhail.

Lillian woke up to the sound of her alarm clock buzzing. She shot up and jumped out of bed, walking over to her dresser and pulling out a clean pair of pants and a sweater. 'I wonder what Mikhail's up to today.' She slipped on some flat sole shoes and headed straight into town. As soon as she reached the city limits, she saw that everyone was already up and working, including Nori. She waved to her friend and noticed that she was busy helping her grandfather cover their plants with straw.

"Winter is around the corner.." Lillian sighed and walked inside of the town hall. As she walked towards Mikhail's door, she felt her stomach suddenly sink. Lillian gave a couple quick knocks on his door, and waited for a prompt answer. She waited.. and waited.. and waited. 5 minutes passed, and she thought it was awfully strange that he wasn't answering. She hesitantly grabbed the handle and gave it a swift turn. As she entered his room, she noticed that the blinds were closed tight, and that Mikhail was still curled up in bed.

"Rise and shine sleepyhead! It's almost 8. Why aren't you up yet?"

Mikhail didn't answer. Instead he shuffled beneath the blankets. Lillian walked over and nudged him gently. "Hey. Didn't you hear me? What's wrong with you?"

Mikhail slowly pulled the covers down to reveal his face. His skin was pale, his eyes had dark circles highlighting around his gray eyes. He let out a cough, while he rubbed his hand across his forehead.

"Morning Lilly."

"Mikhail you look terrible." She ran her hand across his forehead and snapped it back to her chest quickly. "You're burning up! I knew you were going to get sick.."

"Lillian it's not big deal. It's just a cold."

"You don't run a killer fever with a cold. I'm getting Dr. Ayame. Stay put."

"I wasn't planning on leaving, trust me."

Lillian quickly made her way out of the town hall and straight towards Dr. Ayame's office. She couldn't help but feel responsible for Mikhail being sick. She bit the bullet and walked into Ayame's building.


	15. Chapter 15

Lillian marched straight up to the counter in Ayame's clinic. Hiro was standing behind the counter, while focusing on a medical book. He looked up and his face lit up.

"Well hello there, Lillian! What can I help you with?"

"It's Mikhail. He's sick and I don't know what's wrong with him. Can you and Dr. Ayame come and examine him?"

"Sure, right away. Stay right there." Hiro ran from behind the counter and zipped up the stairs. It was only a matter of moments until he came rushing down the stairs, Dr. Ayame right behind him, holding a large medical bag.

"Hey there, Kiddo. Hiro tells me that Mikhail's sick. Can you take us to him?"

"Yeah, follow me." She lead the two out of the office and straight to the town hall. Inside she led them to Mihail's room and opened the door slowly. Ayame and Hiro made their way towards Mikahil's bed, where he was laying with his right arm over his eyes.

"Lilly.. is that you?" He slowly moved his arm and lifted his head slowly.

"Yes Mikhail. And I brought Dr. Ayame. She's going to make you better, I promise."

Ayame sat her medical bag down on the night stand next to his bed. "Hello, Mihail! I hear you're not feeling very well.. So Hiro and I are here to make you well again. Now, tell me what's going on."

"My head is killing me, I have bad chills, and when I cough I wheeze a lot. And, I'm really weak."

"Alright, that's a good start. Can you sit up for me please?"

"Yeah, I'll try." Mikhail sat up very slowly, cringing from the pain of his sore body. Once sitting up, he quickly wrapped his blanket tightly around him. Ayame opened up her medical bag and took out a stethoscope and a thermometer. She placed the thermometer under his tongue and positioned the stethoscope onto his chest. "Take a deep breath for me."

Mikhail did as he was told, but stopped mid breath and began to cough roughly. He held his chest and squeezed his eyes shut. Ayame moved the stethoscope to his back and had him take another deep breath. The same outcome happened again. She removed the thermometer after a few minutes and read it carefully. "103.6 Hiro. Write that down, will you please?"

"Right away, Dr." Hiro began to jot down notes in a small notebook. Lillian observed the two and began to grow even more worried once she heard what his fever reached to. After a few more moments of examining Mikhail, she unhooked the stethoscope from her ears and put her hands on her hips.

"Young man, you have a bad case of pneumonia."

"Great." Mikhail sighed and let out another cough. Lillian could feel her heart sink. She should have had them stay at a hotel in the city. Maybe this would have never happened.

"Don't tell me you were out in that storm yesterday." Ayame put her tools back into her bag and then looked over to Lillian. She could see that the young farmer was blushing a deep red.

"Yes. We were. But we didn't think it was going to lead to this! You see, it was his birthday so we went to the city to have his violin checked out and on our way home we got caught in the storm and-"

"Well, it could be a lot worse. It isn't anyone's fault, it's just nature's wrath. But he needs strict bed rest. No playing violin, watching tv or going on walks. Sleep as much as you can. I'm going back to the office to make up some medicine for Mikhail, and Lillian, please keep an eye on him. If he seems to get worse, or isn't responding as well, come get me asap. This is important. Now Mikhail, try to rest and take good care of yourself. I'd hate to see you end up in my clinic with IV's in your arm."

"Yes Ma'am." Mikhail laid his right arm over his eyes again and sunk deep into his warm bed. Lillian pulled up a stool and sat by his bed.

"We will be going now. Lillian, I'll have his medicine ready in about 2 hours if you would like to come pick it up for him. You two take care now, okay?"

"Thank you both so much for coming out."

"No problem. See you around." Ayame and Hiro walked out of the town hall and back to their own building. Lillian sighed and looked over to Mikhail.

"I'm so sorry, Mikhail.. It's all my fault. I should have paid for a hotel for us to stay in." She lowered her head in shame.

"Don't beat yourself up, Lilly. Besides, I had a lot of fun, and that's what matters, right?"

"I had fun too, but you got sick from it."

"Lilly.. please. I'll be okay. I just need to take care of myself, that's all."

"I was really worried, Mikhail. To come in and see you like this…A cold is one thing, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone this sick."

"I wish you wouldn't worry. Everyone gets sick. It's part of life."

"Yes, I'm aware of that. But yours could have been helped."

"It could have, but it's too late now."

"Yeah.. I guess it is. I can't take it back, but I can take good care of you. Do you feel like eating anything?"

"Not really."

"Well, too bad. I'm going home to make you some soup. That will give you time to rest, and then on my way back I can get your medicine from Ayame."

"Sounds like a plan. Maybe by then I'll have an appetite." He formed a weak smile and took Lillian's hand into his. "You really are wonderful, you know that."

Lillian blushed and turned her head slightly. "Well, you'd do the same for me. That's what girlfriends are for, right?"

"Right. And yes, I would do the same for you."

Lillian stood up and tucked Mikhail in snugly. "Rest up, I'll be back soon."

"Alright, be safe."

Lillian walked out of the town hall and straight towards her farm. She couldn't stop worrying about Mikhail, but knew she couldn't change what was happening. She walked into her home and straight to the fridge where she pulled out an onion, carrots, peas, tomatoes and a container of prepared tofu. She carefully washed each product and began cutting them in uniform sizes. She began to sauté the onions, carrots and peas in a spoonful of butter, to bring out the flavor of each vegetable. She then added water, the tomatoes and cubed tofu and set it on the back burner to simmer.

'It's not much, but I know he likes tofu. I just hope he'll eat it.' She flopped onto her bed and gazed up at the ceiling. 'I wonder what kind of medicine Ayame's going to give him. I had it when I was younger, but it wasn't even remotely bad as what Mikhail has. I don't even remember the type of medicine I had..' After a few moments of pondering, she drifted off to sleep. She awoke an hour later, and noticed that her house was filled with a savory aroma.

"I can't believe I fell asleep." She got out of her bed and walked over to the stove where she began to stir the soup. She gave it a quick taste test, and approved it for consumption. She took it off of the heat, and put a lid on the pot. "It'd be a shame if it went cold.." She then put the pot into a box so it would be easier to carry, and then went straight out the door towards Ayame's clinic. When she arrived, she sat the box down and opened the door and scooped the box back up into her arms. Hiro was waiting for her behind the counter.

"Hello Lillian. Dr. Ayame has Mikhail's medication for you right here." He smiled sweetly towards her and handed her a bottle of liquid medication. "It's a form of penicillin. Make sure he takes 2 tablespoons every 6 hours, with something to eat. Give it to him until all of it has been used up. Don't skip doses, or he may get worse."

"Thank you Hiro. I really appreciate it, and I know Mikhail does too."

"You're welcome. Say, do you need a hand with the door? I notice you're carrying something heavy."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you Hiro, you're sweet." Lillian turned around and made her way towards the door. Hiro opened the door for her and slightly blushed.

"No problem. Just trying to help out a lovely lady like yourself."

Lillian felt a little awkward from this statement, but decided to shake it off. She thanked Hiro again and walked off towards the town hall. She made it inside and went straight towards Mikhail's room. She entered quietly, making sure not to wake him.

"Hey, Lillian."

"Oh. Hey Mikhail! I didn't know you were awake."

"Yeah, I just woke up a few minutes ago."

"Did you sleep good?"

"Eh, kinda. I woke myself up by coughing."

"Aw, I'm sorry. Here, I made you some soup. Where do you keep your dishes at?"

"In the small cabinet over in the right corner. There should be spoons there too."

Lillian made her way over to the cabinet and pulled out a bowl and a spoon. She poured a ladle full of soup into the bowl and returned the lid to the pot. She walked over and gestured for Mikhail to sit up. He did so, moving very slowly. He cupped the bowl in his hands and began to eat slowly.

"It's not much, but I know you need something warm in your stomach right now."

"Lillian, it's delicious, thanks!" Mikhail began to eat a little faster, slurping the broth as he went on.

Lillian let out a sigh of relief. "You're welcome, Mikhail. I was hoping you would like it. It was just something I whipped up real quick." She was happy that he was actually eating.

"Well, you did a good job. See, I'm already done!" Mikhail handed her back the bowl. It wasn't much, but it was enough to give him nourishment.

"Would you like anymore?"

"Nah, I appreciate it though."

"Alright. Well I'll put it in your fridge. But I need you to take this medicine now." She stood up and walked back over to the cabinet. "Do you have any measuring spoons?"

"Yeah, they should be in there."

"Aha! Here they are." She pulled them out of a small drawer and walked back over to Mikhail's side. She pulled the small bottle out of her pocket and poured him a tablespoon. "Now you need to take two of these, so swallow this."

Mikhail did so, cringing at the taste. Lillian filled up another tablespoon full and handed it to Mikhail. She watched as he struggled to keep it down. She fetched him a cold glass of water so he could wash it down.

"Thanks Lillian. I really appreciate you taking care of me."

"You're welcome Mikhail. Anything for you."

"Lillian?"

"Yeah Mikhail, what is it?"

Mikhail took a deep breath and sunk back into his bed. "I…love you."


	16. Chapter 16

Lillian couldn't comprehend what Mikhail had to say to her. She laughed softly and began to blush. "Mikhail, you have a fever.."

"Lillian, I'm being serious, I'm not delusional. It's true. I know I've only known you for about a month, and I've only been dating you for a couple of weeks but, I've never felt this way about anyone before. I'm so happy I'm with you."

"Mikhail."

"Please Lillian. If you don't feel the same way, don't hide it from me."

"I do, Mikhail. I truly do. I feel the same way about everything. To be honest, I wasn't even worried about relationships or marriage when I moved here. I was just so focused on raising a great farm, it just never hit me.."

"I know how you feel, Lillian. I'm kind of the same way. You see, when I lost my parents, there has always been a hole in my heart. Yeah, my instructor was like a father to me, and I loved him very much, but when I got into different relationships in the past, I never felt anything. The most I've ever done was hug before I kissed you. With that kiss, I felt alive. More alive than I've ever been."

"That means a lot to me, Mikhail. It really does."

"And it means a lot to me knowing that you are going to be here for me no matter what."

"Of course."

A few hours passed, and Lillian stayed by Mikhail's side. She gave Mikhail his last dose of medication for the night, gave him a kiss on his forehead and walked out of the town hall and back to her farmhouse. "He loves me.. this is a big step! And I love him too. He's the first person I've ever loved besides my family. Oh, I really hope this lasts!" she made her way inside and went straight to her dresser. She changed into her pajamas, and slid underneath her warm covers. She stared up at the ceiling for quite some time before she slipped into a peaceful slumber. Was this all a dream? Were they really in love?

~Lillian's POV~

Dear Diary:

I know I hardly ever write in you anymore, but today I felt like it was a good time to do so. It has been 6½ months since Mikhail and I have gotten together. It's the beginning of spring, and I feel like I have gained more friendships since I have moved to Konohana. Each week I participate in the cooking contest, and I have led my town to victory with each competition. Now, both of the mayors are getting along great, and Bluebell's villagers are stopping by more often to trade products with us. Bluebell's carpenter, Eileen, has dug through the old tunnel down the way from my home, making it easier to travel to Bluebell and back, what a relief! She's like an older sister to me, and has agreed to remodel my home before next fall. I seem to get along with all of the Bluebell folk, but Georgia and I seem to be on rocky terms. She's a bit jealous because Mikhail and I are dating.

Mikhail and I are doing very well! He treats me so good, and has even been teaching me how to play his violin. I wonder if I will ever become as good as him? Oh, as for Kana.. he seems to get along nicely with Mikhail, despite their rough encounter. Kana finally got over me (from what I know) And is now dating Nori. Every so often, we go on double dates. It feels good to have your best friend and lover get along. As for Reina, she's still odd as ever, but none the less, a great friend to talk to about plants and telling secrets. Both Nori and Reina keep bothering me about getting married. They say I'm ready to start a family, but everytime I think about it, I get nervous. Not in a bad way, but I just can't see that far down the road. Tomorrow marks the first day of summer. I wonder what summer will bring.

Until next time!

Lillian

Lillian closed her diary shut and looked out the window. It was very sunny, and her livestock was outside roaming around. She decided to step outside and head into town. She was about to walk outside of her farm when she noticed that Mikhail was walking towards her in the distance. She waved and started to run towards him. She tackled him to the ground and hugged him tight. She then noticed that he was carrying his violin case, and a sack full of clothes.

"Good morning, Mikhail!"

"Ah, yes. Good morning sweetheart." He smiled and adjusted his glasses. He stood up, pulling Lillian up to face him. "I was just coming to see you."

"Obviously!" Lillian laughed and took his hand. "So, where shall we go today? Bluebell? Or should we stay in Konohana?"

"Well, nowhere.. I need to talk to you about something." He rubbed the back of his neck and felt his heart beating faster. He noticed that Lillian was still smiling brightly towards him.

"Okay, what do you need to talk to me about?"

"Lilly.. you know that the first day of summer is tomorrow..right?"

"Yeah? And?"

"And you know how much I hate the summer.. the heat, the sound of cicadas and other insects.. "

"Yeah.. I don't know if I follow."

"Lillian. I'm packed and will be leaving for the summer to go somewhere cooler."

Lillian felt her heart sink. She couldn't believe what Mikhail had just said to her. She shook her head and looked back up to him. "Is.. is this a joke? Because it's not really that funny."

Mikhail sighed. "I knew you wouldn't take it that well. Look, we aren't breaking up or anything. I'm just going away for awhile. Just think of it as a vacation."

"Well, I'll come with you! It's not a problem, really!" Lillian took his hand, and felt Mikhail tense up. He turned his head and looked down.

"Lilly.. you can't do that. You have a farm to run, remember?"

"It's okay, really! I'll find someone to take care of it while we're gone. Please Mikhail, I don't want you to leave me."

"I'm sorry Lillian. Please don't hate me. You know I love you more than life itself. I'd be more than happy to take you with me if you didn't have work to do." He leaned down and kissed her softly. He noticed that tears were flowing down her cheeks. "I need to go now.. I have a long day ahead of me. Take care of yourself, I'll be back at the end of summer. I love you Lillian."

"I..I love you too Mikhail. Please, stay safe for me."

"Of course. I have a beautiful woman to return to after all." He smiled and began walking towards the mountain summit. Lillian watched as he walked away, soon disappearing into the forest. She felt her heart break, and ran towards Kana's place.

'Lillian baby.. please don't hate me for this.' Mikhail felt tears swelling in his eyes, and began to cry as he gripped onto his violin case, and kept on walking.

She burst through the doors and straight to the back where Kana was sitting at the table, sipping a cup of morning tea. Kana whipped his head around and noticed Lillian was running towards him.

"Hey you, good morning!"

Lillian began to sob as she threw her arms around Kana's neck. She buried her face in his shoulder and continued to cry. Kana's eyes widened as he wrapped his arms around Lillian's body, feeling his vest become drenched from her tears.

"Whoa, Lilly what's going on?!"

"It-It's Mikhail! He left me! He's going away for the summer!"

"He's what?!"

"He said he had to go away for the summer and that he'll come back in the fall. I don't know what I did wrong, Kana!"

Kana felt his heart become enraged. He grabbed ahold of her shoulders and faced her in front of himself. "Slow down and tell me exactly what happened."

"W-well.. he said that he hates the summer and the hot weather and the insects.. and that he was going away to somewhere cooler. When I told him I was coming, he refused and told me that I had a job to do.." She choked back tears and wiped her eyes. What did I do wrong, Kana?! Why would he want to leave me like this?!"

Kana brushed Lillian's hair behind her ears gently. "Lil.. He's not breaking up with you. He just needs to leave for the summer, that's all. Trust me, Mikhail and I are good friends now because of you. He's told me how much you mean to him. He wouldn't just break up with you just like that."

"But I don't understand why he didn't tell me this before! Maybe if he would have, I would have had a chance to find someone to cover my farm so I could go with him."

"I think it's deeper than that, Lillian. He doesn't want you to fail. He wants to see you happy."

"But I'm not happy now! I'm heartbroken because he did this to me!"

"Lilly.. trust me. I'll have a word with him when he gets back."

"Don't you dare do anything to him!"

"No promises. He's a good friend of mine, but he made a promise to me to never make you cry."

"Please Kana. Don't."

Kana sighed and paused for a moment. He looked deep into Lillian's eyes and pulled her into a hug once again. "I'll try my best. Now, why don't you go home and try to relax. It's going to storm soon, and I know how much you hate storms."

"O-okay. Will you please come back with me?"

"Sure." He stood up and helped Lillian back on her feet. They both walked out the door and back to Lillian's farm. Kana looked around and decided to try to lighten the mood.

"Gee Lillian, your farm looks amazing!"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Your livestock looks so happy! They are so lucky to have you as their owner!"

"Yeah, thanks Kana." She opened the door to her home and led Kana inside.

Meanwhile…

Mikhail had walked 3 hours away from Konohana and had made it to the town below the mountain. He walked towards the nearest inn and walked inside. He took a deep breath and walked up to the counter.

"Hello, how can I help you?" An older man was standing behind the inn counter.

"I need a room for the night. I'll come back down tomorrow and reserve a room for the whole summer."

"Alright then, I'll bill you when your stay is over. You will be in room 14." He handed Mikhail the key to the room.

"Thanks a lot." Mikhail lugged his violin and clothes to his room. He opened the door and walked inside. He noticed that there was a king sized bed and a small dresser with a lamp. He sat down on the bed and dropped his belongings below him. He opened his violin case and took out a picture of him and Lillian. They looked so happy together. It reminded him of the first day they met. He sighed and laid back onto his bed, clutching the photo tightly to his chest. "I can't believe I left her.. Lillian.." he stared up at the ceiling for an hour, and decided that he wasn't meant to be in that town for the next couple of months. He grabbed his belongings and walked out, and straight to the lobby.

"Hi there, can I help you with something?" The man looked up from a small book he was reading, and glanced over to Mikhail.

"I've decided I'm not going to stay here. I'm going back home. But thanks for the room, it was very nice." He sat the key on the counter and noticed that the older man was in shock. He shrugged and took the key from Mikhail and looked back down at his book. Mikhail walked out of the inn and straight back towards the trail that led up into the mountains. "Hold on Lillian. I'm coming back baby." He quickened his pace and made it back to Konohana in less than 3 hours. By then, it had begun to rain, and thunder was heard in the distance. He walked onto Lillian's property, and straight up to her door. He took a deep breath and knocked softly.

Lillian and Kana were sitting at the kitchen table and having a cup of tea when Mikhail began to knock. Lillian's eyes were swollen with tears, so Kana decided to open the door for her. He got up and walked towards the front door, opening it slowly.

"M-Mikhail?!"

"Kana! What are you two doing? I decided to come back for Lilly. I couldn't stand being away from her."

Lillian heard Mikhail's voice and jumped up from her chair. She ran towards the door and shoved Kana aside, hugging Mikhail tightly. She began to sob, burying her face into Mikhail's warm chest.

"Lilly.. it's okay, I'm here now. " He walked in and turned to face Kana. "Thanks for taking care of her, I'm sorry I caused you both trouble."

"I have a bone to pick with you." He grabbed Lillian and gently pushed her back, and grabbed onto Mikhail's collar, gripping it tightly.

"Kana, stop!" Lillian shouted as she tried to get in between Kana and Mikhail, but couldn't push Kana off of him.

"No Lillian. Mikhail promised me he would never make you cry! So why did you do it, you bastard?! I trusted you! Lillian never did anything to hurt you, so why did you hurt her?! "

Mikhail sighed and looked down. Kana gripped tighter and jerked his head back. "ANSWER ME, MIKHAIL!"

"I.. I didn't mean to hurt her. Honest. I was just doing what I thought was right for me, but I was being selfish. I got to where I was going, and decided that I did the wrong thing. I deserve to be hit."

Kana loosened his grip and jerked his hand back. Lillian hugged onto Mikhail tightly and looked back at Kana.

"Kana, he didn't mean to make me cry! Please don't hurt him! He was just doing what he has always done!"

"Lillian, I'm not going to hurt him. I was just so upset that he made you cry."

"And I deserved it. But from now on, I'm not going anywhere unless Lillian comes with me."

"Look, I'm sorry man. It's just that Lill-"

"Is your best friend. I know. I would have done the same thing." Mikhail smiled and held out his hand. "I'll never make her cry again, unless it's happy tears."

"It's a deal." Kana gripped Mikhail's hand and shook it firmly. Lillian stared up at Kana and sighed. She shook her head and folded her arms across her chest.

"Kana. You know I'm upset at you now."

"I know Lilly. I'm sorry."

"I'm just so glad you didn't hurt him." She smiled softly and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I am too. I guess I'll leave you two alone and get back home before it really starts to storm. Take care of her, Mikhail." He walked past both of them, and reached for the door handle.

"I will. I swear I will." Mikhail hugged Lillian tightly. Kana stepped outside and walked back to his house. There was a few moments where the two of them didn't speak, but just embraced each other tightly.

"Lilly.. I'm so sorry. I can't believe I did that."

"Mikhail. I don't blame you at all. I know you don't like the summer. Please, don't ever leave me again."

Mikhail reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out a blue feather. He looked into Lillian's eyes and held it out to her. "I don't plan to. Ever."

"Mikhail! That's-"

"A blue feather." He kneeled down and held it up to her. "Lillian, will you marry me?"

Lillian began to cry once again, and nodded softly. "Of course I will." She took the blue feather and watched as he stood up. He hugged her tightly and bent down to kiss her.

"I love you Lillian. I want us to grow old together, and raise a beautiful family. I want to help you out with the farm, and play the violin every night for you before we go to bed. I'm so happy.. I know my parents are looking down from heaven and are proud of me for finding a perfect woman."

"I love you too, Mikhail. I know my parents are doing the same.


	17. Chapter 17

~*~*~* Let the Lemon begin! NSFW! KEEP THAT IN MIND, YO! *~*~*~

Dear Diary:

It's been three months since Mikhail proposed to me, and I have to say, I'm super excited to become his wife. We want everything to be perfect, so we planned the wedding on October 5th of this year! It's only a week away, and we still have a lot to do, but I know we will get it done. Eileen has agreed to remodel my home to welcome Mikhail as soon as we are married. It will have enough space for us, and for our future children when we decide to have them. A nice bathroom equipped with a big tub, it's something I've wanted since I moved here! The renovations should be done in two days, but we have decided not to go inside until it is completely finished.

Mikhail is up at the mountain summit, practicing his violin, and I'm sitting here at the Konohana town hall in our bedroom, spending time with myself. I'm writing in you today to boast and brag about my wedding details, because I don't want my friends to know anything just yet. It's going to be a traditional town wedding, where everyone comes to witness our marriage, but I won't have any bridesmaids, and he won't have any groomsmen. We want to keep it simple, yet still elegant, and still be able to turn some heads. My wedding gown is going to be made by Nori, and it will be the traditional white, with no sleeves and it's going to poof down at the skirt to make me look like a fairytale princess! Cam has agreed to provide flowers, while Howard and Yun are going to be teaming together to make a feast fit for our fairytale wedding! It seems like everyone will have their own part to play in this wedding, but I'm going to stop short because I don't want to ruin all of the beautiful details!

Which brings me to my next thought. The most Mikhail and I have ever done is kiss, which makes me nervous for the traditional wedding night get together. Him and I don't even share a bed! We respect each other enough to not rush anything yet, but I have strong feelings for him, and he has strong feelings for me. Maybe I'm just being silly, but if it wasn't for tradition, we would have already made love many times. I'm so attracted to him, and I know it's not just my biological clock ticking. There will be plenty of time to have children, I just want to make this marriage perfect for both of us.

Until next time,

Lillian.

Lillian sighed happily and closed her diary softly. She got up from her bed and walked over to Mikhail's dresser drawer. She opened the top drawer, and began to slide her diary in. She stopped midway, to pull out the blue feather that Mikhail had given her months before. She clenched it to her chest and stared into the mirror in front of her, twirling back and forth, imagining herself in her wedding dress. "Although it's my Classy outfit, It seems to be his favorite.. so I wear it often for him!" She stopped spinning, and glanced out the window to see that the leaves were falling off the trees slowly. In a week's time, she would be married to Mikhail. She slid the feather back into the drawer and closed it tightly. As soon as she returned her prized possession, the door opened, and Mikhail stepped through holding his violin case.

"Welcome back! How was practice?"

"As wonderful as ever." He brought her into a tight hug and kissed her forehead. "So, I ran into Eileen on the way back, and she says our place is finished."

"What? So soon? But I thought it was supposed to be finished in two days?"

"Well, she did a good job and it's done two days earlier than expected! Aren't you happy about that?"

"I am, It just kind of surprised me, I guess.."

"Well, it surprised me too. Now come on, let's go see our new home." He took her hand into his and led her out of the town hall and straight towards their home. Lillian had butterflies in her stomach that knocked fiercely against the lining; it was like the first day they met. Their home was finally completed! It all seemed too good to be true!

"So, what shall we do first in our new home, love?"

"Oh, well.. we should definitely move our stuff back, that's for sure. And I'm going to make us dinner to celebrate!"

"Sounds wonderful." He stopped at the beginning of the dirt path that would lead them to their new home. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be!"

"Good, let's go then!" He gripped her hand snugly and led her down the dirt path. It seemed forever since Lillian visited her house, but it was only a month that she spent outside of it. The outside still looked the same, except there was an extended room on the right side of the house.

Lillian walked towards the door and loosened her grip from Mikhail's hand. She placed her hand on the door knob and slowly turned the door, pushing it in after its last turn. She stepped inside, her jaw dropped. There was a King sized bed complete with a red and gold printed comforter and a matching rug that laid right at the side of the bed. The kitchen was a lot larger, with new oak cabinets, and a new refrigerator. Lillian spun around and ran towards the newly added room, and turned the light switch on the wall. A small chandelier lit up in the middle of the ceiling to welcome a beautiful red and gold woven rug that laid in the middle of the room, and two rooms that read "Toilet" and "Bath". Lillian was so overwhelmed with happiness, she turned around quickly and noticed that Mikhail was behind her.

"It's amazing, isn't it, Lillian?"

"It's more than amazing, it's a dream come true! This is our house now, not just mine. And I'm so happy that I'm sharing it with you." She wrapped her arms around Mikhail and squeezed tight. Mikhail cupped her chin with his right hand and bent down to kiss her. He broke the kiss for a slight second to whisper in her ear.

"Lillian, I love you so much."

"And I love you too Mikhail. So very very much."

He kissed her deeply and scooped her up into his arms. Their tongues became intertwined, as both of their hearts began to race. Mikhail led both of them over to their new bed, and laid Lillian on it gently, still keeping the kiss intact. He ran his fingers through her hair and felt Lillian release a small moan from her soft lips. He pulled away and stared into her eyes. "Something wrong, Lil?"

"N-nothing.. I just, feel really good."

"Me too." He kissed her again, this time deepening the motion of the kiss. He felt himself becoming unwound and more down to earth. He knew he wanted her more than anything right now, but it was all up to her. He wasn't going to force her into something she wasn't comfortable doing."

"M-Mikhail.." Lillian breathed softly and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What is it love?"

"Please, take me."

"Are you sure? I don't want to force you into something tha-"

"I said, take me."

Without hesitation, Mikhail placed his lips back onto Lillian's, and began to thrash his tongue inside of her delicate mouth. Lillian let out small but sharp moans with each thrash of their tongues. He squeezed his hand in between her back and their bed, and began running his hand up her blouse. With one quick snap, her bra was loose, and was pulled from her arms and away from her warm plush body.

"Wow, that's incredible, Mikhail.." She breathed softly and stared up into his eyes as he began to take off his orange sweater.

"You think so? I've never done it before, but I've always imagined doing it to you.." He smirked and began to lift her shirt from her soft skin. She felt a chill run down her spine and her whole body became tense. Mikhail dropped her shirt and stared down at his love. "Lil..?"

She snapped out of it and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing it roughly, while nibbling on his right ear lobe. Now, it was Mikhail who was becoming tense.

"L-Lillian!" He moaned loudly as she kissed down his neck and to his collarbone. She noticed his breathing was becoming labored, so she ceased the motion, and stared back up into his eyes.

"Oh, so you like teasing me, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Well, what if I do something to tease YOU?" He pulled her long sleeved shirt and vest off and gazed at her pure skin. "Lillian.. you're so beautiful.."

"Oh, stop. It's embarrassing!" She covered her breasts up with her arms and watched as he began to forcefully move them.

"No, I'm being serious. Your breasts are amazing; I just want to play with them." He bent down and began groping onto her C sized breasts, his tongue taking turns licking each nipple. He could hear her moans fill the house, but kept going. He couldn't get enough of her, she was just too perfect. He removed his mouth from her perky breasts and began to kiss up her neck, her jaw line, and over to her lips once more. He pecked her and smirked as he saw the look of torment across her face.

"Why would you do that and then stop?!"

"See, now you know how I feel." He laughed and then sat her up. "Well, I want to see more of you, love." He smiled softly and gently tugged on her skirt. Lillian looked down and gripped onto his hands and gave him a soft nod. Mikhail began to pull her skirt down, and caressed her soft hips. "Lillian, your skin is like porcelain.."

"It's not that great."

"Don't argue with me." He laid her back and began to slide off her blue laced panties that were hidden under her skirt before. "Matching panties.. Well they're going on the floor now." He gently tugged them off and watched as Lillian clenched her legs together tightly to hide her womanhood.

"I-It's embarrassing.."

"Why is it? We're getting married in a week. You're beautiful inside and out Lillian. I hope you know that I'll always love you."

"I do know that."

"Alright, then let me examine in between your legs." He placed his hands on her knees and pried them apart, his fingers began to rub against her. "You're so soft down here. I never knew you like to shave yourself."

"Mikhail!"

"Yes, what is it?"

"It feels good.. and I can't stand having hair down there so, I do shave."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that." He continued rubbing her, noticing that she was gripping the sheets tighter with each rub he gave. Without notice, Lillian forced herself to sit up, and pinned Mikhail down onto the bed.

"That's enough, Mikhail. Now it's time for me to pleasure you. Now, stay there." She reached down and began to unzip his pants, freeing himself from his boxers and slacks. She tossed them aside.

"You're so bad, Lillian. I love it."

She took his hard member in her hand and began to stroke it, staring into Mikhail's eyes with every pass she gave.

"You're so big, Mikhail!"

"You think so?"

"I know so. I've never seen a naked male before, so for my first time I'm glad it's with the one I love." She bent down and began to lick his shaft, making him moan with pleasure.

"L-Lilly!"

"What's wrong? Do you want me to stop?"

"No. By all means, keep going."

Lillian did as Mikhail requested, only taking his shaft into her mouth, and sucking harder with each pump. It was moments later that Mikhail began to grip onto the sheets as tight as he could and finally began to shout.

"Lillian! I'm about to cum!"

Lillian pulled away and looked at Mikhail. "Not now! We haven't even made love, yet."

Mikhail sat up and gently nudged Lillian back down onto the plush comforter. He opened her legs gently and positioned himself. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I am."

Mikhail gently pushed himself inside of Lillian's tight hole. He felt her legs wrap around his midsection, and began to push himself in further, hearing her hiss with pain.

"Lillian, are you okay?!"

"Yeah, I'll be okay." She bit her bottom lip and began to moan louder with each inch he passed into her. She felt a sharp pain hit her, and let out a small cry, digging her nails deep within Mikhail's back. He ignored this, and began gently moving in and out of Lillian, noticing blood pooling up on the new comforter. "Shit, Lillian you're bleeding!"

"Yeah, you broke my hymen. It's okay keep going."

"Oh. Okay." Mikhail wasn't sure what she said, but he kept going, noticing that Lillian's cries turned into loud moans, which cued him to thrust faster inside of her.

"Lillian, you feel so good! You're so tight, I've never felt this kind of pleasure before!"

"Me either! You're so big, Mikhail. I love feeling you inside of me! I feel so strange, I feel like I'm exploding!" She moaned as loud as she could, her breathing became labored. She kept moaning his name with each thrust he gave her.

"Lillian, I'm about to.. I'm coming!" Mikhail moaned loudly as he buried his face into her neck, slowing his rhythm to a steady pace. After a few moments, he pulled out of her and fell next to her, pulling her into an embrace. "You're so amazing, Lilly."

"You're more amazing, Mikhail."

"Nah. Not me."

"Yes you. This was my first time, and I'm so glad I saved myself for my fiancé."

"It was mine too. I feel so much closer with you now."

"Same here, Mikhail. I love you."

"And I love you too, Lillian. We should really wash the comforter now, before it stains."

"Right. I'll take care of that, you just rest, okay?"

Mikhail stood up and pulled his pants back on, and watched as Lillian began to dress herself. He smiled and a soft blush formed across her cheeks. "You're so damn gorgeous. I hope you know that."

"I do now." She smiled softly and gathered the comforter, and took it into the new bath area of their house. Mikhail flopped himself back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. "We did it.. and before our wedding. She's one special girl to get me going like that."


End file.
